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points by jklowden 1 day ago | 0 comments

Why does the prepper assume there will be electricity to charge his car?

In case of living somewhere sunny, because he has solar installed?

If you are using solar why need the cybertruck at all?

Because when you produce more energy than you need, you need to store it somewhere and if the cost is roughly equivalent for that place to be mobile vs a static construction, choosing the mobile one is superior.

[–] kube-system 1 day ago

Standard grid-tie systems shut themselves off during a grid outage due to anti-islanding safety requirements.

If you want your solar panels to be operational during an outage, the typical install for this is a system that already includes batteries.

There are specialized options that exist with islanding features, but if you didn't install your solar system specifically for this you probably don't have it.

[–] wyre 1 day ago

But the cost isn't equivalent at all???

Is this thread being astroturfed? This defence for the Cybertruck ITT is one of the least rational threads I've seen on HN in the past few years and if the CT was actually valuable tech it wouldn't be one of the worst selling vehicles of all time.

[–] lukan 1 day ago

Are you maybe a bit overreacting? The question of emergency power is a rational one and no one here said they thinj a cybertruck is awesome because of it. Just that this is a selling point.

[–] wyre 1 day ago

I am certainly overreacting. I was just dumbfounded by the question I was responding too. If the concern is emergency power there are so many better alternatives than a cybertruck. If the concern is storing an abundance of solar power there are much better alternatives than a cybertruck. I don't want to come onto HN and be marketed products; I come to HN for tech news and to see cool software that people build, not to be marketed a cybertruck.

[–] MentalM 1 day ago

> The question of emergency power is a rational one

And the additional value of Cybertruck in this question is about $1000 - $1500. $1k of additional value for $60k purchase is still a selling point, but marginally small selling point.

[–] CTDOCodebases 1 day ago

There are a whole bunch of "Prepping" scenarios to prepare for.

[–] alterom 1 day ago

Because the "prepper" never had to deal with an actual disaster.

You can stockpile diesel for a generator (unlike electrons). That's what actual prepping looks like.

Take it from a Ukrainian.

[–] gopher_space 1 day ago

There was a great write up by a Bosnian survivor about prepping vs reality and the top concerns were fuel, cooking oil, and paper goods. Water didn’t even make the list.

[–] SJC_Hacker 19 hours ago

Sure, in Bosnia where it rains regularly. In drier climates, different story.

[–] gopher_space 12 hours ago

IIRC her point was that there's non-potable water you don't normally consider that can be made potable.

[–] labcomputer 1 day ago

Diesel can't be stored forever. Maybe a few years with stabilizer. So you need to remember to rotate it out (and have some use for the fuel you're rotating out).

Much easier to just buy some solar panels to recharge the electric truck.

[–] autoexec 1 day ago

A prepper will already be rotating out food and water anyway. Solar is still a good idea, but so is having fuel powered generators. Might not be too much sunshine in situations like a nuclear winter or geoengineering gone wrong.

[–] alterom 1 day ago

>Diesel can't be stored forever. Maybe a few years with stabilizer. So you need to remember to rotate it out (and have some use for the fuel you're rotating out). Much easier to just buy some solar panels to recharge the electric truck.

Much easier to use diesel in your diesel-powered vehicle.

And then you have much, much energy in your stockpile.

[–] wang_li 1 day ago

Diesel just lengthens the storage time. You still have to go somewhere to get it when your onsite tank runs dry. For the electric side you could also have a bunch of solar panels. Lots of choices.

And if the needle is so far towards apocalypse, then the horse beats your diesel. Repairs itself, refuels itself, and replaces itself.

[–] rglullis 1 day ago

The ultimate preppers just become Amish.

[–] wang_li 1 day ago

If it works it's not stupid. Or something.

[–] davrosthedalek 1 day ago

> replaces itself At least two horses then.

[–] scottyah 1 day ago

That's fun till you run out. The sun isn't going to replace your daily use.

[–] grey-area 1 day ago

The supercharger stations will obviously keep working during the apocalypse.