One of my most severe pet peeves is when a piece of equipment or technology gets it flat-out wrong. Not just mean visually or mechanically, but autonomically and ethically as well.
I had to rent a hybrid vehicle for a couple of days, and I absolutely hated the thing. Why? Because it constantly did things I didn't direct it to, that I would never have expected or wanted.
Bear in mind that this is decidedly not an Old Man Yells At Cloud problem. I'm a genuinely good driver- taught by professionals, including a former racecar driver. I can operate almost anything from a go-kart to a backhoe. This thing fought me at every step.
Audible chimes and dashboard notifications when I was 'too close' to a highway lane edge? Dinging at me while I backed up like it was a damn bulldozer, or even more loudly when there might be something nearby?
These aren't benefits or warnings, they're hazards. They're distractions.
But it gets worse.
I'd be stopped at a red light, and the engine would just... disengage. Then when I tried to move, the engine would start back up! Not only did that create another auditory distraction, it created a delay. It actively prevented the movement my pressure on the accelerator should have yielded- which is an obvious safety hazard to any competent vehicle operator.
Last among the stunners, the manufacturers appear to have dismissed the notion of personal responsibility.
The sun was up, so I toggled off the headlights.
While switched off, they turned back on again! The damn thing wouldn't LET me keep them off!
In short, it appeared to be more dangerous to more qualified vehicle operators than to poorly skilled ones. Without a fair bit of time in the manual, I'm not even certain I could have fixed these dangerous settings. If a function doesn't suit my need, then the ability to readily disable it is absolutely essential, and this was anything but clear.
Now the question is- why? Why are the designs deliberately, obviously handicapped? The engine disengage problem is probably a hybridization issue- knowing where to put what in terms of optimal engine implementation seems a solvable issue, one currently technically functional but not ideal.
What also seems to be missing is the understanding of how to do so in a way that doesn't create a hazard for an operator with preexisting expertise, and so for those around them. Just as a skilled cook doesn't need a smoke alarm unless they're not in the kitchen, a skilled driver doesn't need to be told when they need their lights on, nor warned about where they are on the road... unless they ask for it.
Such things have a place. But they are only, always, and ever to be operator-engaged.
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