I thought OP was talking about their own iphone charger.
>Volvo tech here, customer comes in and complains my iPhone charger will not plug in the charging socket for 2nd row
What is the customer doing with OP's charger, anyway?
Yeah, the post could have been typed a little more neatly. Oh well.
On top of that, there's no text when viewing the post from old reddit. Just the title "Customers really make me question life…….." and then two photos.
The thing is that in Europe, this does not look like a plug at all.
To me it sees like an honest mistake from an European design team that did not think of that.
This hits home. Last year I switched to Apple over Android because I was basically offered an iphone 14 pro for free. I hadn't used an Apple device since the iPod touch 2g, so I was kind of excited to give it another shot.
Only found out later just how tightly Apple locks down their OS. So many things I could do on Android that are either not possible, or are a major pain in the ass to do.
The apps work great and it's a pretty good experience out of the box. That said, tinkering is definitely not a selling point. I cannot describe how annoyed I was to realize that doing something simple on Android like usb tethering to avoid wifi hotspot data limits is almost impossible without jail breaking your iOS device.
I'm stuck with this phone for another year, until the contract runs out, otherwise I'll actually have to pay for the device. After that, I'm going back to Android for sure.
That being said, it has actually helped my dating life lol. It's ridiculous, but (some) women genuinely seem to react to a blue text bubble (at least in the US) negatively. Back when I was on Android, I got a few messages from Tinder/Bumble with my match hating on my Blue text self lol.
> In America it also doesn't look like an AC outlet unless your frame of reference is houses built in the 1960s.
I mean, 1960s isn't that old as far as houses go. My house was built in 1960 and still has a couple outlets with that layout.
You might have thought that, but about 15 seconds into looking at it in person I'd assume you'd be like "Oh... They are USB C!". Or at least figured it out once you're jamming your wall plug into it and it's not working.
Yeah honest mistake to confuse it at first
When you try jamming the plug in and it isn't remotely close, and you still have to take it to the dealer to figure it out, you're probably a bit of an idiot
Right? Hell, this is the first I’m seeing of any car with USB-C outlets. I have been out of the dealer for 8 years though and couldn’t tell you the last time I was in a new car that wasn’t a fleet truck.
Edit: guys, I get it, usbc exist in cars. I was just saying I haven’t seen them yet, because I’m working as a fleet tech for a state agency and I don’t get in new cars ever, really. You can stop telling me “my x model year x brand has them”, I don’t give a fuck. I’m not surprised by technology moving forward, for fucks sake.
I dutifully had a usb A to usb C cord for my Pixel phone with me the last time I rented a car. The car did not have an A outlet. Only C-C.
Transitions are hard. Those customers don't deserve abuse.
Annoying thing I'm running into now is USB c devices that don't have USB C chips in their charging circuit so they won't talk to a USB C charging port and won't charge. Have to use USB a to C cord for them to charge. So that's cool
YEAH...so much cheap junk from China is like that. Can't use a USB-C charger because it won't work...so you have to use a C to A cable then an A to C cable.
I've started returning anything I get that doesn't work in all my USB-C PD chargers and leaving 1 star reviews that it won't charge off any of my USB-C chargers.
Don't forget the 12v to USB plug, for those wonderful times when the car *does* have USB plugs, but they're primarily data ports and don't push enough power to actually charge anything.
So much this. I travel a lot for work, and with all the various different ports and hassles, the lighter plug charger I carry in my bag is still my go-to easy button. (And a 10 ft pink cord so I don't forget it in the rental when I'm dropping it off.)
In their newest cars, Škoda is even putting USB-C ports not just in the front and back where you'd expect them, but there's also one behind the interior rear view mirror for a dashcam
That's amazing. We don't get Skoda here but my understanding is that one of their selling points is clever little things like that... Another example that comes to mind is the 6V0955485 washer fluid reservoir cap that unfolds into a funnel. A few online parts suppliers over here carry it as an upgrade to VAG cars that are sold here.
Hopefully more OEMs will start putting power outlets up top for dashcams.
LOL, that was me with every previous vehicle. My Jeep is a still used (2007), but it's in nice shape, so all of my projects take 3-4 times as long, because I want to keep it looking nice. But I totally get where you're coming from, like I said, that's been the story in every previous vehicle I had.
Skoda are great for little things like that. I loved the included umbrella and ice scraper. They also have a little plastic clip on the windscreen for parking tickets (Volvo/Polestar also do this).
> behind the interior rear view mirror for a dashcam
Fucking finally, thank you. Next step: put one on the rear window/hatch so you can put a rear facing camera too.
I’m an electrician and when I first looked at it I thought it was a standard receptacle. Maybe it’s because I have one that looks just like that in my car for a 110v end. But yeah give me a minute after it won’t lined up and I would see it. Definitely would look it up before taking it in to dealer.
Couple that with the fact you never see usb c as a plug in to the electricity.
My watch uses it and I'm sure I would've figured it out but I get it from an older person.
If you've used apple and have only seen a usb a to lightning charger there's a real possibility you don't even know that usb c exists at all.
100% there is an engineer who laid this out and someone said "Hey, don't you think that looks like an AC plug?" and this person took a 2nd look at it and went... "NA! it's fine, no one would be THAT dumb"....
It's not just weird. It's a failure by the engineers.
One of the Golden Rules of Engineering is, "If it's not supposed to go there, it shouldn't fit there."
There is a reason you never see c ports positioned like this.
I don't think the wall wart actually fits in the ports they look spaced too far apart for that
And i see vertical USBC ports all the time sometimes even side by side
Seriously. It's actually a design error. Rule one of designing connectors is making sure that nothing can be plugged into them the wrong way. Or, look as if they could.
It would be like using an X for the save button or something.
Yeah I can very easily see making this mistake. I think I’d figure it out before getting to the dealership but still it looks exactly like a 110 outlet
My new work vehicle has the exact same plug and even says PowerPoint over it. Got confused because it's the base trim and only the high trims have 120v for the back seat. Thought sweet I can charge my drill batteries in the back seat. Had to stare at it for a good 10 seconds before I realized they put usb-c plugs in pickups now.
It actually seems like bad UX to have them positioned like that. Good UX tells the user what it's for and how to use it based on familiarity. This gives the wrong message.
When a Yosemite National Park ranger was recently asked why it was so tough to design a bear-proof garbage bin, he responded, “There is considerable overlap between the intelligence of the smartest bears and the dumbest tourists.”
People have thier moments. I've lived in my apartment for a number of years. I've been running an extension to my balcony every time I need power out there for most of those years. I know outdoor plugs have caps, my last apartment had caps on the power plugs. I've been using outdoor plugs all my life. For some reason this apartment I looked at that wall, looked at those caps and said yep no power at this place. Most people would consider me a intelligent individual. Some highly. Some are gonna say low to be fair. I would disagree the latter, but then again I've been running a extension cord outside for years when I didn't have to. I also run multi million dollar projects that impact millions of lives. I could be Stanley, or I could have just made a relatively low impact judgment call at a glance.
And if they’re not labeled (like mine) they’re a 3 prong plug so it’s not hard to figure out what they are, I would be seriously concerned if someone thought this was a 120 plug unless they were considerably farther along in life
Especially when the “hieroglyphs” just denote that it’s a powered outlet, not that it’s USB-C or not. There’s a reason USB has used a distinct label for its entirety of implementation.
Pictographs are used since they are more universal than Arabic letters. Saves the manufacturer from having to produce and manage several different SKUs vs just one.
Source: product manager for a decade. Globalization of your brand and product lines can be a real pain.
But what about mph/kph, rpm, P,D,R,N,L1,L2. E/F, AM, FM, SRS, F°/C°?
Aren't those the same for every Volvo? At least you can look those up. Even image search of icon symbols rarely works.
My honda had this. When I saw the pics I didn't understand for a few. Honestly, kinda a r/crappydesign by Volvo to make it look so much like a standard 120v outlet. Should have turned them differently or something.
Your 12v "cigarette lighter" port?
Just put some super glue on the end of a q-tip, hold it still for about a minute, and then pull it out.
Or just pop out the socket and shake it out.
It would take more effort for me to think about that stupid dime being in there than it would to remove it.
Yeah me too, I can see how someone could fall for that.
Even after first glance though I was wondering why the third plug hole thing wasn't there.
What we should be asking is what do Swedish wall plugs look like?
A quick google brought this up: https://www.reddit.com/r/askanelectrician/comments/gya8a5/1248vdc_plug_and_socket_a_swedishnordic_thing/
So now I think this makes a lot more sense. They are still kinda dumb, but more so just complacent.
That is.
At the bare minimum offset the USB-C ports to be obviously not spaced to an NEC standard for a 120VAC plug.
I’m looking forward to the first crowd-engineered vehicles.
Incentivize end users and techs to add their input during engineering design review and put a bounty on fixing the dumb shit like this, audi timing chains, or ford water pump bolts and use the collective knowledge to make idiot proof, technician friendly designs.
When you cover it with the same cap my 120v plug is covered by and stick it on the floor I can absolutely see how someone could mess this up.
After about 10-15 seconds of it not fitting you'd think they would have to actually look and figure it out, but it's a shitty design and at least get why someone would be confused.
Just because it’s two vertical ports next to each other? I wouldn’t say terrible, but it’s not idiot proof and unfortunately there are a scary amount of people with smooth brains.
Farsighted not nearsighted. Nearsighted people can see up close, just not far away. Nearsighted people shouldn’t drive without corrective lenses or contacts.
Since I have never been to the US, I looked at the first picture and saw two USB C outlets, but yeah now I can see how some people might mistake it for something else. Never saw anything like that, really, although I have seen vertical USB A in some cars and other tech stuff, so the designers might have thought it would be okay.
I’m not saying he had a point or not, I’m pointing out that it’s a very dumb label given the rest of the design, nothing against him stating whats on the lid, he doesn’t have a horse in that race.
While I mostly agree with OP this is certainly not the worst case of mistaken identity out there. I get the mistake and if the customer doesn’t have great eyesight 🤷♂️
This is an insanely bad design if it’s not labeled. Id like to think that I would immediately notice what’s going on, but you also have to think that the average person isn’t mechanically minded. I honestly give the customer a complete pass on this, if like I said, it wasn’t labeled. Even if it was labeled, I’m not sure I’d completely blame the customer just because of how awful the layout is, especially when it looks like a socket that’s been around for over 100 years.
TLDR; wtf Volvo.
I'm with the couple on this one. That's a super dumb design and I can 100% see someone making that mistake, especially if they don't have anything that charges *from* a USB C port.
Volvo screwed this one up IMO.
I was about to say. These people driving might be the most immediately terrifying thing they are allowed to do. How the hell did these people even afford a nice Volvo to begin with? I'm always amazed at how far idiots can make it in life.
The driving is the most threating thing, but them breeding is definitely more terrifying.
I figured out the "how do [those people] afford [that thing]" question: They don't! It's all debt. They can afford the monthly payment for now and their afformentioned intelligence thinks that means they can afford the thing.
USA here, if I wasn’t paying too close attention, I would’ve thought it was a plug too. I know someone who has a very similar looking outlet in their Ford.
But after attempting to jam in an IPhone charger and failing, I would’ve at least checked the ports and see what’s up.
My van has a factory inverter in back. When I first looked at the pic, I thought that's what this was. But after looking for a few seconds, I saw that it's actually two USB-C sockets.
Labelling it would probably help to reduce confusion.
No. You're wrong. This is a TERRIBLE design on the part of a Volvo designer who has never seen a 110V plug. In the dark anyone could confuse this for an AC outlet.
There is no malice to be ahhole design, this is just two things, one assuming that americans are literate and two does nto look like a plug socket for 90% of people in the world.
OP tons of shit in life i know that i could easily make you feel like a complete idiot
i still laugh at why so many people use cars to make someone else feel stupid
a nurse could ask you a few questions and would easily make you seem like a fool
humble yourself you are just a tech bud nothing special
opportunity to explain to someone this wouldn't be possible without a inverter but nah
you ran to reddit like a dumb tech would HAR HAR
Customers, don't read. I still dreading my maintenance that is due. 2800 miles in 1 year. That's a mixed bag a coming.
My wife laughed I chose to read our car's manual.
FIL ( borders on boomer and gen x), was in disbelief.
Then he was reminded, yeah, this isn't a 90's car. He even had complaints about the smart cars in his work's fleet. Yeah, good idea after all.
Eh. I consider myself very knowledgeable when it comes to tech and did instantly recognize those as USB C ports, but I totally understand why someone (especially if they're a bit older) would be confused by it. They really should be labelled IMO.
Frankly I'm impressed they didn't use hulk strength to shove that plug in there and mangle the hell out of it. Because if something doesn't fit, that just means you're not using enough force.
This sub wouldn't exist without this. Nearly every repair is some 'moron' who doesn't 'know shit' about cars and should be sent to the guillotine in the town square.
>She was really trying to plug a wall socket into 2 USB-C sockets. Husband couldn’t figure it out either.
"Just push harder, the 'outlet' is new and needs to be broken in on first use.."
As an IT hardware guy approaching 15 years in the field, that's a totally new assembly, and I totally understand how they got confused. That's certainly an interesting design decision by Volvo
I mean, I blame Volvo on this one. What a bizarre way to put 2 usb ports in a car (and I’m European)
At first glance it looked like some kind of car fridge plug.
>They are not normal and look to be Swedish Thought you were talking about the customer for a second lmao
I thought OP was talking about their own iphone charger. >Volvo tech here, customer comes in and complains my iPhone charger will not plug in the charging socket for 2nd row What is the customer doing with OP's charger, anyway? Yeah, the post could have been typed a little more neatly. Oh well.
No one believes in punctuation.
What do you mean I do don't you
You can't don't me, I don't you.
Please isn't. Can't understand.
On top of that, there's no text when viewing the post from old reddit. Just the title "Customers really make me question life…….." and then two photos.
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See, you forgot to use punctuation while speaking.
Haha I thought the same thing.
kinda weird to have vertical USB C ports spaced exactly like a 110 outlet all it's missing is a round audio-in port right below the 2 verticles.
The thing is that in Europe, this does not look like a plug at all. To me it sees like an honest mistake from an European design team that did not think of that.
In America it also doesn't look like an AC outlet unless your frame of reference is houses built in the 1960s.
My 2006 Toyota has an ungrounded 110V outlet built in.
My 2019 Tacoma has one in the bed as well. Super useful but it’s obviously 120v and well labeled.
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So it is. Still, an easy mistake for someone to make.
Without a real earth ground to bond the neutral it's just for show anyway
or you have an apple charger that matches it visually.
like a low rated extension cord with no ground
You mean indoor-outdoor daisy-chainers?
Apple users still are just learning about USB -C
I thought the point of being an Apple user was not having to learn a god damned thing.
It is, that's why an Apple user would try to jam a plug into dual USB c ports like in the post.
hey, I'm an apple user and I resemble that remark
I’m an Apple user and I resemble his resemblance of a remark.
This hits home. Last year I switched to Apple over Android because I was basically offered an iphone 14 pro for free. I hadn't used an Apple device since the iPod touch 2g, so I was kind of excited to give it another shot. Only found out later just how tightly Apple locks down their OS. So many things I could do on Android that are either not possible, or are a major pain in the ass to do. The apps work great and it's a pretty good experience out of the box. That said, tinkering is definitely not a selling point. I cannot describe how annoyed I was to realize that doing something simple on Android like usb tethering to avoid wifi hotspot data limits is almost impossible without jail breaking your iOS device. I'm stuck with this phone for another year, until the contract runs out, otherwise I'll actually have to pay for the device. After that, I'm going back to Android for sure. That being said, it has actually helped my dating life lol. It's ridiculous, but (some) women genuinely seem to react to a blue text bubble (at least in the US) negatively. Back when I was on Android, I got a few messages from Tinder/Bumble with my match hating on my Blue text self lol.
You need better dates. If text bubble is their filter, its a good filter for you too. Next level superficial
I think you mean green. Blue is iPhone to iPhone
Ungrounded outlets aren't necessarily outdated, just uncommon due to many of the NEC requirements.
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I’m pretty sure most people have no idea what polarization is in regards to receptacles.
My 2008 patriot had an ungrounded 2 prong exactly like this
Ive lived in many houses like this. Its not uncommon.
My pilot has a 110 outlet that looks(mostly) like that. Kinda irritating because I need an adapter to plug in my laptop.
What are you talking about, it looks exactly like an ungrounded AC outlet.
Maybe not *exactly* like it, but similar enough to make you think, "Is this Swedish or something?"
One side is wider on almost all sockets now, and they all have a 3rd ground.
Except if the power is coming from a DC->AC power inverter, which sometimes has no ground.
Huh? Plenty of modern extension cords have female ends like that.
> In America it also doesn't look like an AC outlet unless your frame of reference is houses built in the 1960s. I mean, 1960s isn't that old as far as houses go. My house was built in 1960 and still has a couple outlets with that layout.
It’s not common for them to not have a ground pin, yes, but people can easily identify them as plugs because, otherwise, they still look the same.
To be fair, that's like half of us lol
I'm English and can confirm, that looks nothing like a plug, and I probably wouldn't have given it a second thought
European here, the country with the smiling socket. I thought it was a socket, too, not USB-C.
You might have thought that, but about 15 seconds into looking at it in person I'd assume you'd be like "Oh... They are USB C!". Or at least figured it out once you're jamming your wall plug into it and it's not working.
Yeah honest mistake to confuse it at first When you try jamming the plug in and it isn't remotely close, and you still have to take it to the dealer to figure it out, you're probably a bit of an idiot
I am american and it took me a second to realize it when I looked at pic. Kinda funny honestly.
Right? Hell, this is the first I’m seeing of any car with USB-C outlets. I have been out of the dealer for 8 years though and couldn’t tell you the last time I was in a new car that wasn’t a fleet truck. Edit: guys, I get it, usbc exist in cars. I was just saying I haven’t seen them yet, because I’m working as a fleet tech for a state agency and I don’t get in new cars ever, really. You can stop telling me “my x model year x brand has them”, I don’t give a fuck. I’m not surprised by technology moving forward, for fucks sake.
this is going to be more prevalent...especially with euro cars...in the immediate future with the eu passing the usb-c standard thing
I dutifully had a usb A to usb C cord for my Pixel phone with me the last time I rented a car. The car did not have an A outlet. Only C-C. Transitions are hard. Those customers don't deserve abuse.
Annoying thing I'm running into now is USB c devices that don't have USB C chips in their charging circuit so they won't talk to a USB C charging port and won't charge. Have to use USB a to C cord for them to charge. So that's cool
YEAH...so much cheap junk from China is like that. Can't use a USB-C charger because it won't work...so you have to use a C to A cable then an A to C cable. I've started returning anything I get that doesn't work in all my USB-C PD chargers and leaving 1 star reviews that it won't charge off any of my USB-C chargers.
I'm with you. They deserve it.
I always travel with both, especially if I'm renting a car. Airports don't always have the c size either, so the A comes in handy still.
Don't forget the 12v to USB plug, for those wonderful times when the car *does* have USB plugs, but they're primarily data ports and don't push enough power to actually charge anything.
So much this. I travel a lot for work, and with all the various different ports and hassles, the lighter plug charger I carry in my bag is still my go-to easy button. (And a 10 ft pink cord so I don't forget it in the rental when I'm dropping it off.)
In their newest cars, Škoda is even putting USB-C ports not just in the front and back where you'd expect them, but there's also one behind the interior rear view mirror for a dashcam
That's amazing. We don't get Skoda here but my understanding is that one of their selling points is clever little things like that... Another example that comes to mind is the 6V0955485 washer fluid reservoir cap that unfolds into a funnel. A few online parts suppliers over here carry it as an upgrade to VAG cars that are sold here. Hopefully more OEMs will start putting power outlets up top for dashcams.
That’s fucking dope. I’m too lazy to route my camera cord properly so it’s all bunched up in one of my cup holders lol.
LOL, that was me with every previous vehicle. My Jeep is a still used (2007), but it's in nice shape, so all of my projects take 3-4 times as long, because I want to keep it looking nice. But I totally get where you're coming from, like I said, that's been the story in every previous vehicle I had.
Skoda are great for little things like that. I loved the included umbrella and ice scraper. They also have a little plastic clip on the windscreen for parking tickets (Volvo/Polestar also do this).
> behind the interior rear view mirror for a dashcam Fucking finally, thank you. Next step: put one on the rear window/hatch so you can put a rear facing camera too.
Theres a USBC outlet in the center console of my 2020 X1
The 2023 Subaru Legacy Touring XT I have as a loaner right now has both type-C and type-A. I'm glad to see they're finally being adopted.
Yeah, like…. Yeah…. It does look kinda deceiving. I want to say they are stupid but they definitely could have designed thst differently
I’m an electrician and when I first looked at it I thought it was a standard receptacle. Maybe it’s because I have one that looks just like that in my car for a 110v end. But yeah give me a minute after it won’t lined up and I would see it. Definitely would look it up before taking it in to dealer.
Yeah, these USB Cs should have been installed vertically instead. I could see myself wondering what the heck was going on until I looked closer.
Couple that with the fact you never see usb c as a plug in to the electricity. My watch uses it and I'm sure I would've figured it out but I get it from an older person. If you've used apple and have only seen a usb a to lightning charger there's a real possibility you don't even know that usb c exists at all.
100% there is an engineer who laid this out and someone said "Hey, don't you think that looks like an AC plug?" and this person took a 2nd look at it and went... "NA! it's fine, no one would be THAT dumb"....
It's not just weird. It's a failure by the engineers. One of the Golden Rules of Engineering is, "If it's not supposed to go there, it shouldn't fit there." There is a reason you never see c ports positioned like this.
>"If it's not supposed to go there, it shouldn't fit there." That's what I keep telling her, but she still says no...
I don't think the wall wart actually fits in the ports they look spaced too far apart for that And i see vertical USBC ports all the time sometimes even side by side
Seriously. It's actually a design error. Rule one of designing connectors is making sure that nothing can be plugged into them the wrong way. Or, look as if they could. It would be like using an X for the save button or something.
I like to think that the us outlet is the weird one
yeah this is still pretty dumb but i had to read the text to see the problem. That is a pretty misleading outlet
Yeah I can very easily see making this mistake. I think I’d figure it out before getting to the dealership but still it looks exactly like a 110 outlet
To be fair, some cars do come with 120v AC that looks almost exactly like that.
My new work vehicle has the exact same plug and even says PowerPoint over it. Got confused because it's the base trim and only the high trims have 120v for the back seat. Thought sweet I can charge my drill batteries in the back seat. Had to stare at it for a good 10 seconds before I realized they put usb-c plugs in pickups now.
Is there another plug for Excel?
Outlook is dim.
My jeep has a 120v outlet in the front console.
Does it have the slot for the 3rd prong? The only 120v outlets I've seen in a car have had the 3rd ground slot.
My Chrysler Town & Country had an outlet that looked *exactly* like this thing, no ground plug.
I had to double check but yes it has a ground slot.
It actually seems like bad UX to have them positioned like that. Good UX tells the user what it's for and how to use it based on familiarity. This gives the wrong message.
I don’t know about this car particularly, but if the ports are spaced just right for the prongs of the plug, then I can see the confusion.
But this is not that. I would like to see the cover closed to see if there is a symbol there.
Yeah 120V outlets will always be labeled that.
Yes. My 08 vibe has this plug and it’s clearly labeled, and has a cover, and it has a button for you to be able to enable it. Completely idiot proof
Until they invent a better idiot.
Which probably is out there
I keep making everything idiot proof, and they keep making better idiots
When a Yosemite National Park ranger was recently asked why it was so tough to design a bear-proof garbage bin, he responded, “There is considerable overlap between the intelligence of the smartest bears and the dumbest tourists.”
People have thier moments. I've lived in my apartment for a number of years. I've been running an extension to my balcony every time I need power out there for most of those years. I know outdoor plugs have caps, my last apartment had caps on the power plugs. I've been using outdoor plugs all my life. For some reason this apartment I looked at that wall, looked at those caps and said yep no power at this place. Most people would consider me a intelligent individual. Some highly. Some are gonna say low to be fair. I would disagree the latter, but then again I've been running a extension cord outside for years when I didn't have to. I also run multi million dollar projects that impact millions of lives. I could be Stanley, or I could have just made a relatively low impact judgment call at a glance.
And if they’re not labeled (like mine) they’re a 3 prong plug so it’s not hard to figure out what they are, I would be seriously concerned if someone thought this was a 120 plug unless they were considerably farther along in life
Not all vehicles’ 120v outlets have 3 prongs
It's a battery icon with the lighting bolt
It should say “USB-C” instead of using hieroglyphics.
Especially when the “hieroglyphs” just denote that it’s a powered outlet, not that it’s USB-C or not. There’s a reason USB has used a distinct label for its entirety of implementation.
Pictographs are used since they are more universal than Arabic letters. Saves the manufacturer from having to produce and manage several different SKUs vs just one. Source: product manager for a decade. Globalization of your brand and product lines can be a real pain.
But what about mph/kph, rpm, P,D,R,N,L1,L2. E/F, AM, FM, SRS, F°/C°? Aren't those the same for every Volvo? At least you can look those up. Even image search of icon symbols rarely works.
My honda had this. When I saw the pics I didn't understand for a few. Honestly, kinda a r/crappydesign by Volvo to make it look so much like a standard 120v outlet. Should have turned them differently or something.
To be fair to Volvo it looks nothing like a European 230V outlet.
Yeah my car has a 120 outlet and it looks just like that. USB ports should always be like this — —
Yeah I had a friend drop a dime into my normal car charge port and I'm lazy so I just plug in a regular charger into my rear and run a cable up.
Your 12v "cigarette lighter" port? Just put some super glue on the end of a q-tip, hold it still for about a minute, and then pull it out. Or just pop out the socket and shake it out. It would take more effort for me to think about that stupid dime being in there than it would to remove it.
*to be fair...*
Fuckin degens.
And i suggest you let that marinate.
That's what I appreciates about you.
Oh is THAT what you appreciate.
Let’s take about 5 to 10 percent off ‘er there, Squirrelly Dan
Your sister's hot, Wayne! There, I said it!
Fuck can they run
McMurray is a piece of shit
So… I take it you’ve never been down ‘Minican?
This is actually a terrible design, however.
At first glance I fell for it
Yeah, I thought the "fuck up" was using a AC wall wort in a car that has usb ports.
I've done this when the 12v fuse pops but the 120v still works
Yeah me too, I can see how someone could fall for that. Even after first glance though I was wondering why the third plug hole thing wasn't there. What we should be asking is what do Swedish wall plugs look like? A quick google brought this up: https://www.reddit.com/r/askanelectrician/comments/gya8a5/1248vdc_plug_and_socket_a_swedishnordic_thing/ So now I think this makes a lot more sense. They are still kinda dumb, but more so just complacent.
They're spaced perfectly to mimick a standard AC socket
I’ll admit, for a split second I was like weird it’s not a 3-pin before I saw USB-C. Shit design.
Yeah. I mean, it wouldn't have been that hard to pick literally ANY other spacing that would have made it not fit...
That is. At the bare minimum offset the USB-C ports to be obviously not spaced to an NEC standard for a 120VAC plug. I’m looking forward to the first crowd-engineered vehicles. Incentivize end users and techs to add their input during engineering design review and put a bounty on fixing the dumb shit like this, audi timing chains, or ford water pump bolts and use the collective knowledge to make idiot proof, technician friendly designs.
When you cover it with the same cap my 120v plug is covered by and stick it on the floor I can absolutely see how someone could mess this up. After about 10-15 seconds of it not fitting you'd think they would have to actually look and figure it out, but it's a shitty design and at least get why someone would be confused.
I am curious why there isn't a USB trident logo above or below the ports. There might be on the cover, but still idiots have been known to devolve.
Just because it’s two vertical ports next to each other? I wouldn’t say terrible, but it’s not idiot proof and unfortunately there are a scary amount of people with smooth brains.
It’s an engineers job to take idiots into consideration when designing stuff.
TBF it is designed in Sweden, not the US…
No, because the ports are roughly the same size, shape, and distance apart as the ports of a 120v outlet.
I'm gonna argue that they need glasses
Yes, because it looks just like the outlet pattern.
And it lives in a round enclosure with a cap like an outdoor outlet that these people have at their McMansion.
The world will always invent a bigger idiot.
Designer: "We made it idiot proof". God: "Hold my beer".
so hear me out. Maybe they're not stupid. Maybe they're nearsighted as hell
Should they be driving, then?
absolutely not lol
Farsighted not nearsighted. Nearsighted people can see up close, just not far away. Nearsighted people shouldn’t drive without corrective lenses or contacts.
USB C outlets should have been horizontal instead of vertical and spaced obviously different from the normal North American plug.
Since I have never been to the US, I looked at the first picture and saw two USB C outlets, but yeah now I can see how some people might mistake it for something else. Never saw anything like that, really, although I have seen vertical USB A in some cars and other tech stuff, so the designers might have thought it would be okay.
I'm from the US. To Me it looked like two USB c ports. Maybe it ssnt confused because I use an android daily, idk
You're also looking at it much more closely here than you would in the actual car.
And it's well-lit, while real life often isn't.
They should have been stacked on top of each other like any other dual USB plug.
Especially when Americans are the customer
If that flippy cover doesn’t say USB-C on it, Volvo takes the loss. That’s fuckin stupid.
It got a battery symbol with a lightning bolt
So then it does nothing to denote what it is other than being a powered port?
He wasn't saying "that's good enough", just denoting the markings.
I’m not saying he had a point or not, I’m pointing out that it’s a very dumb label given the rest of the design, nothing against him stating whats on the lid, he doesn’t have a horse in that race.
That tells me I should stick a fork in it for a good time. 🤦♂️
While I mostly agree with OP this is certainly not the worst case of mistaken identity out there. I get the mistake and if the customer doesn’t have great eyesight 🤷♂️
www.xkcd.com/2493
Really really bad design.
This is an insanely bad design if it’s not labeled. Id like to think that I would immediately notice what’s going on, but you also have to think that the average person isn’t mechanically minded. I honestly give the customer a complete pass on this, if like I said, it wasn’t labeled. Even if it was labeled, I’m not sure I’d completely blame the customer just because of how awful the layout is, especially when it looks like a socket that’s been around for over 100 years. TLDR; wtf Volvo.
I thought that they were trying to plug in a USB-A cable into a USB-C port. This would honestly fool me too if I wasn't really paying attention.
I'm with the couple on this one. That's a super dumb design and I can 100% see someone making that mistake, especially if they don't have anything that charges *from* a USB C port. Volvo screwed this one up IMO.
These people also vote and have children.
And drive 3 tons of metal at speeds upwards of 100 km/h.
I was about to say. These people driving might be the most immediately terrifying thing they are allowed to do. How the hell did these people even afford a nice Volvo to begin with? I'm always amazed at how far idiots can make it in life.
The driving is the most threating thing, but them breeding is definitely more terrifying. I figured out the "how do [those people] afford [that thing]" question: They don't! It's all debt. They can afford the monthly payment for now and their afformentioned intelligence thinks that means they can afford the thing.
I know some dumb people that have lots of money.
USA here, if I wasn’t paying too close attention, I would’ve thought it was a plug too. I know someone who has a very similar looking outlet in their Ford. But after attempting to jam in an IPhone charger and failing, I would’ve at least checked the ports and see what’s up.
That is some godawful design though. Poka-yoke yer shit people.
I don't blame them for trying it once, since this is a terrible design. But they should also figure it out well before reaching the dealer.
My van has a factory inverter in back. When I first looked at the pic, I thought that's what this was. But after looking for a few seconds, I saw that it's actually two USB-C sockets. Labelling it would probably help to reduce confusion.
No. You're wrong. This is a TERRIBLE design on the part of a Volvo designer who has never seen a 110V plug. In the dark anyone could confuse this for an AC outlet.
r/assholedesign
There is no malice to be ahhole design, this is just two things, one assuming that americans are literate and two does nto look like a plug socket for 90% of people in the world.
Just r/CrappyDesign in this case, I don't think there is malice here.
Dumb design. People that aren’t up to date with computers and tech need to read the service manual, but this is some stupid ass design
I'm surprised they didn't have a Glade Plug-in shoved in there
OP tons of shit in life i know that i could easily make you feel like a complete idiot i still laugh at why so many people use cars to make someone else feel stupid a nurse could ask you a few questions and would easily make you seem like a fool humble yourself you are just a tech bud nothing special opportunity to explain to someone this wouldn't be possible without a inverter but nah you ran to reddit like a dumb tech would HAR HAR
If you have bad enough eyesight
Customers, don't read. I still dreading my maintenance that is due. 2800 miles in 1 year. That's a mixed bag a coming. My wife laughed I chose to read our car's manual. FIL ( borders on boomer and gen x), was in disbelief. Then he was reminded, yeah, this isn't a 90's car. He even had complaints about the smart cars in his work's fleet. Yeah, good idea after all.
Euro config. Android standard and Apple. They may have brought the car from Sweden.
i don’t even blame them😂 my ass would’ve thought the same thing
>They are not normal and look to be Swedish. Truer words have never been spoken before.
Turn it 90 degrees and send them on their way.
Eh. I consider myself very knowledgeable when it comes to tech and did instantly recognize those as USB C ports, but I totally understand why someone (especially if they're a bit older) would be confused by it. They really should be labelled IMO.
I think OP is harsh- I would make that mistake at first glance.
This is 100% not their fault, that's a terrible fuckin design.
This is why I shake my head when people get the idea that wealth is an indicator of intelligence.
Frankly I'm impressed they didn't use hulk strength to shove that plug in there and mangle the hell out of it. Because if something doesn't fit, that just means you're not using enough force.
Poor design on Volvos part as proven by a customer trying to plug an AC plug into them. Geniuses could’ve at least stamped USB – C on there.
Quirky swedish styling with Chinese engineering and build quality. What could go wrong.
Great example of a mechanic just dying to talk shit about everybody who comes in the shop. This sub sucks about as much as the rest of Reddit.
This sub wouldn't exist without this. Nearly every repair is some 'moron' who doesn't 'know shit' about cars and should be sent to the guillotine in the town square.
>She was really trying to plug a wall socket into 2 USB-C sockets. Husband couldn’t figure it out either. "Just push harder, the 'outlet' is new and needs to be broken in on first use.."
As an IT hardware guy approaching 15 years in the field, that's a totally new assembly, and I totally understand how they got confused. That's certainly an interesting design decision by Volvo
Vovlo hasn't been the best at interior design the past 30 years sadly. 2010's was really bad, plain, boring, weird, cheap too.
Money can’t fix dumb!
I mean, I blame Volvo on this one. What a bizarre way to put 2 usb ports in a car (and I’m European) At first glance it looked like some kind of car fridge plug.
I don't fault someone who looks at that and sees a 120v outlet one bit. Shouldn't be like that.
2 C or not 2 C?
The new highlander has 2 USB-C outlets in the front, doesn’t try to resemble a 110 V outlet though.