Carice TC2 – A non-digital electric car

6 hours ago (caricecars.com)

I like the design, but I can't see myself owning it beyond having it as a hobby vehicle to around town. I've grown far too used to a GPS screen, rear camera and an entertainment system (free of ads thanks to my streaming subscription).

I like the idea, and we need variety in the market to keep things evolving, but I like the bells and whistles. I just don't want it to phone home. Honestly, I want the title to be 'we don't have a network connection and we can still be a car'. Privacy is my #1 feature.

  • A data connection still has tangible benefits e.g. remotely starting the AC/heating, live status of chargers / route planning, online map updates, eCall etc

    • If only I could trust that is all it did. I want 'airplane mode' for my vehicle. I turn my phone to 'airplane' mode all the time specifically because I don't want to give them access to where I am and all the other telemetry. I want incredibly strong protections that their network access isn't abused. Tools like logging all connections by application and the ability to block anything. Blocking when these tools can use the network (only when I have actively let them because I am actively using it for example) and opt-out by default with independent third party auditing of everything they release so I can build trust. I want real guarantees with real consequences when they are broken. I want devices to be mine, not theirs. Right now it is like someone has keys to my house and regularly comes in and installs hidden cameras without my permission. It is evil and people should go to jail for it. Unfortunately though, right now I have 100% trust that they will abuse their position which means I see every 'feature' that connects in any way as a major negative and not a positive. It is deeply unfortunate because I want to enjoy the things I pay for instead of treating them like the enemy that they currently are.

    • Exactly. If the last decade has shown us anything, consumers will always opt for the convenience features and cost far ahead of privacy concerns. I can't think of many successful consumer products with privacy as their key selling point, despite how many times it shows up here. Apple products maybe, but privacy is listed as feature #6 of the 7 features highlighted halfway down the page on https://www.apple.com/iphone/

Nice, a cross between the 356 and the Copen. Price is ~55000 Euros including taxes. They're Dutch, I wonder who is backing them, this looks like an expensive thing to develop.

Analog in what sense? No digital readouts?

It has a standard EV charge port, so it's definitely got computers in it somewhere to negotiate charging at a minimum.

  • The post's title was editorialized: the archived page makes no mention of analog. The neutral title would be "The 100% electric Carice TC2: a real retro head-turner".

    I think OP meant there were no screens in the sparse cockpit, just some analog gauges.

    And yeah electric cars need a battery management computer, a charge controller, and a motor controller at least.

    • Hell, I was souring through to see how they made it fully analogue.

      A stupid title.

    • Out of curiosity, are those components standardized/swappable between manufacturers/models, or customized for each individual make/model?

      So much of "old school" auto maintenance was having a relatively standardized size/fit for similar components.

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I like the general design very much. And additionally the fact that it is small, lightweight, and not imposing, while apparently being a fast car.

Except for one thing: the brushed metal dashboard. I can imagine how terribly it's going to reflect the sun from behind when the roof is folded. I hope they can offer a tasteful matte dark version.

As of the lack of bells and whistles, the dashboard seems to be prepared for being customized. I suppose it's not a cheap car, so a customization job is not going to ruin the buyer's finances. I can imagine that a custom radio with protected but visible vacuum tubes could appeal to some buyers.

  • That dash stood out to me as well. Would definitely want wood or leather or a darker matte metal.

    • I'm assuming that its stainless. it were were aggressive about it, it would take a patina for anything from grey to black. stainless also develops a really wide variety of colors if you heat treat it in an oven with good temperature control. there a bronze-like color that's nice, and also a blue.

      I'm amused to see that so many cybertrucks have been powder coated or wrapped in vinyl.

Lovin' this! Though I'm not a fan of the design but like the spirit of it.

I can't fathom why we can't have a modern car with analog displays and switches in the cockpit.

I own a 25 years old car which only has a digital radio (removeable!) and that's it, perfectly enough.

  • Look at the Bugatti Tourbillon. About as analog-appearing as it gets. Clearly there’s a recognition that this is what luxury looks like — but switches (let alone dials!) cost more than touch screens.

  • No fuel injection or electronic ignition? I'm sure there's an ECU somewhere in the vehicle.

    • This is the sentiment completely.

      My 34-year old base spec Chevrolet has digital controls for timing advance, fuel trim, and integrated Engine and Transmission Control Units. But my dash has some analog components ( fuel level is variable voltage instead of PWM ). The mechanics would all say that my truck is very simple, and "old school"

      The Lay use of 'analog' is far removed from function. As long as there isn't a screen, it isn't seen to be digital. I studied photography in college and loved shooting film. I have a processing machine that is based on a 6502. When people would talk about non-digital things as analog it would bug me (One is chemical, and one is a computer).

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Some specs about the car:

- 31.5kWh

- 630kg

- 300km (186mi) range

This review explains the concept behind the car in more detail: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4aTzuUrdyIc

  • Lack of DC fast charging makes the range even more limiting. It takes 2.7 hours to add another 150 miles. Modern EVs can add 150 miles of range in 10-15 minutes.

    • Take a look at the video the car driving. I don't think people who buy this are worried about range anxiety.

  • 300 km with an extra battery. 200 km and 590 kg with a smaller one. It's about weight of a Lotus Elan, a bit heavier than a Fiat 500.

Some choice quotes:

> Prices for a TC2 start at €44.500 excluding taxes (€53.854 including 21% btw/Dutch tax).

> The Carice TC2 complies with the European regulations and can therefore be driven in all EU countries and countries that adopt those regulations, like Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Monaco and Norway.

  • Saw that. It's a plaything for the wealthy, not anything like the small spartan EV that we really need.

    • It very much looks like it's designed to be your second/third/tenth car. Not as impractical as a daily driver as most sports cars, but you won't use it for a trip to Ikea either

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    • For something of the value proposition of an Mazda MX5 with Nissan Figaro styling, I mean it's not terribly far off the mark. If you want the average Top Gear readers budget choice, the Renault 5 with 255 miles of WLTP range is about €32-34k as an 'everyman' Supermini without serious compromises in any particular area.

      Short of getting some sub-BYD CDM manufacturer to compete directly, there's not much scope out there to cut much further than that for an acceptable 2+2 QOL car in 2025. Mainly I can see the likes of Dacia cutting corners in the interior to crew-cab standard and releasing a low-tide mark EV like their proposed 'Hipster'.

      Dacia has stated that the target price for the entry-level Hipster is planned at around €12-15k - undercutting Dacia's most affordable electric model, the Spring, with an entry RRP of around €18,000 euros.

      https://www.carscoops.com/2025/10/dacia-hipster-previews-dir...

Would be great to read about it but my residential internet has apparently been blocked for "malicious activity".

  • From the pictures, this is the kind of vehicle that you would gladly pay extra to have delivered to your second vacation home so you can park it next to your 6 other semi-exotic cars and drive it half a mile to the country club on Saturdays.

    If that is not your demographic, they might have geo-located your IP and blocked you based on the median income of your area. (Only half joking.)

    • It's about 44 grand. It's definitely not "country club" money.

      Not a hell of a lot more than say a Fiat 500E convertible, and quite a bit cooler.

  • It looks like a kit car version of a Porsche 356 crossed with a Nissan Figaro.

    It actually looks rather more expensive than it is - it's about 44,000EUR putting it at the same sort of money as a Focus ST. Expensive toy, but not horribly so.

    Unsure what it's based on, probably (like the Figaro) some fairly inexpensive existing car's subframes.

  • You're Web browser probably isn't leaking enough identifiable information for the site to judge whether or not you're a bot, so it default to denying you.

1) Cool, i hope they get lots of orders. 2) We're not past the 'zero emissions' rhetoric? I get evals 'at the tailpipe,' yet i think we've come past that line of thinking (e.g. Fairphone's Cameroon country outline inside the phone, behind the battery cover) 3) Will be interesting to compare results to other cars, e.g. Slate, which approach a similar need/desire from a remarkably different angle.

  • What's the issue with the zero emissions rhetoric?

    • I guess the complaint is that electricity production is not zero emissions in most of the world, so it could be considered misleading.

      I don't think it makes sense, ICE vehicle emission ratings have never included the drilling, refining, and transportation of fuel, and the alternative is for every vehicle to just advertise "unknown emissions" because it's impossible for the manufacturer to know anything beyond what the vehicle itself produces.

Too cute for the price tag. But seriously bad design choice of having a plug port in the trunk. Looks like you could close it and lock it, but still.

This is nice! not a big fan of the design and would really prefer a fixed roof but the concept is still a good one and the avoidance of all the digital doodads is great!

I like the fact that it looks like a "classic" car. I was very disappointed when the electric Mustang looked like any other electric car and not like a classic Mustang.

I want one. What will it cost?

  • From the FAQ at the bottom of the page:

    > Prices for a TC2 start at €44.500 excluding taxes (€53.854 including 21% btw/Dutch tax)

    Street legal in Europe but not the US, up to 300km range.

Oh, yet another luxury EV.

Wake me up when a manufacturer finally commits to making an EV that everyone can afford and isn't a cloud-connected privacy nightmare.