Please, for the sanity and mental health of East Providence drivers, can we not have simultaneous construction in front of the 195 West on-ramps on Pawtucket Ave and South Broadway?
Started my ionic 6 SEL lease in 2023. Had the ICCU failure, got a replacement after several weeks waiting for parts, but otherwise it’s been a great vehicle. It has amazing range, great acceleration, looks cool, lots of features that are often limited to luxury vehicles. I would have gotten a 2026 had Hyundai made them available in the US.
I spent the last few months driving a bunch of possible replacements: Rivian R2, Genesis GV60, Lexus ES, and others. I ultimately landed on a Cadillac Optiq. It’s more spendy than I wanted, and I will miss the sedan drive, but it has the trim quality and features I wanted to maintain.
Hyundai did an amazing job with the ionic 6, and it hits well above its price point. I wish the US market were more receptive to this product.
My letter to the East Providence City Council re: ALPR/Flock cameras.
>CC: Ms. Skipworth; I ask that my letter be included as correspondence for the next council meeting.
>Dear Mayor DaSilva, President Rodericks, and Members of the Council:
>I am writing to ask you to cancel the city’s automated license plate reader (ALPR) contracts and remove the cameras from East Providence.
>I know the Council voted unanimously to deploy these cameras, and I believe you did so with the best interests of residents in mind. My concern is not with your intent. It is with the technology itself, whether the vendor is Flock Safety, Axon, or any competitor.
>ALPR systems record the plate, location, and travel patterns of every driver who passes them. These are the good and decent people of East Providence, on their way to work, to school, and to support RI businesses. The result is a searchable database of where our neighbors go, one that outside agencies can query with no warrant and no meaningful oversight. Once that data exists, the city cannot control how it is used.
>These systems also make mistakes. Misread plates and stale alerts have led police in other states to stop and handcuff innocent people. A false alert creates a dangerous encounter for both residents and officers. The perceived benefits of these cameras are not worth these risks.
>In recent weeks, town councils in Glocester, Narragansett, and South Kingstown all voted to cancel their ALPR contracts after hearing from residents. Communities across the state have reviewed this technology and stepped back. East Providence can show the same judgment and prioritize the best interests of our neighbors.
>I ask you to cancel the contracts, take down the cameras, and require public review before any surveillance technology of this kind is adopted in the future.
>Thank you for your service to the city. I would welcome a response.
>Sincerely,
>Joshua Wright
My ionic 6 lease is coming up in a few months and I’ve been shopping around trying to find something new. Id love to hear thoughts on why people chose a GV60 over the Optiq at a similar price point. Losing 800W charging is disappointing in the Optiq but not something that’s a big deal breaker for me.
The lack of CarPlay support is not a deal breaker for me, but it's disappointing. There's more than a few Apple apps I want to use that I'd lose from my current ride (ionic 6).
Has anyone tested using one of the wireless CarPlay USB adapters with the R2? Would that be a suitable workaround for CarPlay die-hards?
Doctor: How much coffee do you drink a day?
Me: Between 900ml and 1500ml.
Doctor: heh heh, you know that exactly do you?
Me: *blinks slowly*
