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Project ideas from Hacker News discussions.

BYD Sells 4.6M Vehicles in 2025, Meets Revised Sales Goal

Original Article

Hacker News Discussion

📝 Discussion Summary (Click to expand)

1. Chinese EVs' Global Dominance and Quality

BYD and other Chinese makers are rapidly dominating markets outside the West with competitive pricing, quality, and scale. "Chinese cars don't sell just in China. They utterly dominate globally outside of EU/NA where they face extreme tariffs" - runako. "If you account for the fact that Australian market Teslas are built in China, then China is producing 8 of the top 10 EVs" - bigfatkitten.

2. Western Stagnation and Need for Competition

Legacy Western automakers have stagnated; protectionism prevents innovation, echoing 1980s Japan. "locking Chinese vehicles out of the market will also lead to the downfall of our industrial base over time" - runako. "American makers improved by exposure to Japanese makers, and yes I am suggesting they also need exposure to Chinese makers for the same reasons" - runako.

3. Subsidies, Dumping, and Strategic Concerns

Debate over Chinese state subsidies/dumping vs. Western equivalents, with fears of industrial/military threats and debt. "Chinese automotive industry is a strategic threat to Western military capabilities" - djohnston. "Subsidies are dangerous in the long term" - seydor. "BYD sits on a pile of debt they use to pay suppliers expecting ever-increasing sales (Evergrande business model)" - alecco.

🚀 Project Ideas

TradesMatch AI

Summary

  • AI-driven job matching platform for skilled trades workers (plumbers, electricians, machinists) facing high turnover, low pay, and boom-bust cycles, connecting them to union gigs, fair-pay employers, and training paths.
  • Core value: Reduces labor shortages by improving retention and matching, with pay transparency and boss ratings to avoid "shitty bosses."

Details

Key Value
Target Audience Trades workers, GCs, machine shops frustrated by labor dropouts (e.g., "machinists could just wander off")
Core Feature AI matching based on skills, location, pay history, boss reviews; integrated union training pipelines
Tech Stack React Native app, Node.js backend, PostgreSQL, ML via TensorFlow.js for matching
Difficulty Medium
Monetization Revenue-ready: Freemium (premium for employers: $99/mo verified listings)

Notes

  • HN commenters like AngryData ("low pay and shitty bosses... unions pay better") and thechao ("complete lack of labor in all trades") would love practical utility for fixing decades-long shortages.
  • High discussion potential on labor markets, unions vs. non-union, immigration fixes.

ModuHome Hub

Summary

  • Online marketplace and configurator for modular/prefab housing from global suppliers (e.g., Chinese factories), with US zoning/NIMBY simulators, cost estimators, and compliance checkers to enable fast, affordable builds.
  • Core value: Bypasses labor shortages and NIMBY blocks by visualizing "bad ass modular" designs shippable to US, comparing specs/prices transparently.

Details

Key Value
Target Audience Homebuilders, millennials/gen Z facing housing crisis, GCs tired of labor constraints
Core Feature 3D configurator with AR previews, zoning impact simulator, supplier bidding from China/EU
Tech Stack Next.js frontend, Three.js for 3D, Supabase DB, Stripe for escrow
Difficulty High
Monetization Revenue-ready: Commission (5% on deals)

Notes

  • Addresses DeadFred ("Chinese... modular housing... shipped to the USA") and nebula8804 ("NIMBY would block it") frustrations; seydor ("next industry... housing") sees disruption potential.
  • Sparks HN debates on NIMBY reform, China imports, prefab viability.

AutoDebt Analyzer

Summary

  • Real-time dashboard comparing global automakers (BYD, Tesla, Toyota) on debt loads, subsidies, sales, production capacity, with interactive charts debunking "dumping" myths via adjusted metrics.
  • Core value: Helps investors/tradespeople cut through FUD on "hidden debt" vs. real financial health, exposing stagnation in Western firms.

Details

Key Value
Target Audience Investors, auto industry pros debating BYD debt ("$5.6B vs Toyota $269B") and subsidies
Core Feature API-fed metrics normalizer (e.g., debt/EBITDA adjusted for leases/suppliers), scenario simulator
Tech Stack Streamlit dashboard, Python (Pandas/Plotly), APIs from Yahoo Finance/companiesmarketcap
Difficulty Low
Monetization Hobby

Notes

  • Quotes bryanlarsen ("BYD's debt... small fraction"), toomuchtodo ("debt is irrelevant") highlight need for clear tools amid "financial engineering" noise.
  • Utility for HN finance threads; potential virality in EV/China dominance discussions.

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