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Traffic jams would be a whole lot less damaging if they were all electric. Just sitting there with the AC and radio on is a whole lot less emissions compared to fossil fuels.
I prefer a rock solid public transport system, and plenty of safe walking areas and no-car zones. EVs help minimally in the grand scheme, since they are costly to produce, especially the batteries.
Yea, that only works for cities. America will still need tons of cars for everywhere that isn't a city. It's a very low density country, all things considered.
There's large swathes of territory nearly as dense as parts of Europe with incredible public transit. Look at the density of Spain and overlay it on top of the northeast US, then compare the public transit.
Yea, but the northeast, especially major cities like NYC, Boston, and Philly, does have better public transit than a lot of the US. I know it still sucks overall (and don't get me going about the costs), but a lot of the infrastructure was built during the car boom. People do like cars, and they make sense for most of America given how much sprawl we have.
Local transit of those cities is pretty good, I'd agree. But the lack of intercity transit, like high speed rail, is such a shame.
But then you lose your fReEdOm, and are beholden to another driver's whims! Creep to the left or right side of the lane in your traffic jam? Forget it! All you can do is read, or play a game, or gaze forlornly at the liberated masterminds as you zip past in your socialist train!
Good luck with that, though. If this is America, and I think it is, we find ways of making a good public transit system suck. I also think we need to take a hard look at how our towns and cities are desined as well, and make them to where they're optimized to be able to drive into a central location then bicycle or hoof it to whrever you wanted to go within a couple miles.
Which won't happen especially in car first cities. I am in Michigan, it's the home of the automobile and everything is built around it. To accommodate a good mass transit they would need to demolish large portions of the cities to install rail lines because busses are a lack luster bandage. Even with cities with great bus lines like Lansing or Ann Arbor it still can take hours for a trip across the city when a car gets you there and back in minutes. Business will also need to accommodate and give longer time off for doctors appointments. My wife rides the bus often in Lansing and if she has a appointment that is only a 10min car ride she is gone for 3 hours on the bus.
To accommodate a good mass transit they would need to demolish large portions of the cities to install rail lines because busses are a lack luster bandage.
I mean, we did that for cars, and it only made things worse
To accommodate a good mass transit they would need to demolish large portions of the cities to install rail lines
I don't think this is true, at least not initially. There are cheaper alternatives, such as BRTs (dedicated bus lanes) and updating zoning to encourage destinations to develop closer. Sure, the US is obviously mostly car-centric today, but the cynical all-or-nothing mindset is hindering cities' ability to even begin to make progress.
That's true, but electric cars won't fix the core issue of car dependency and massive traffic jams
The two issues I have with current EVs is you can't work on them and they don't last as long as gas vehicles.
I have a old suburu and it still runs fine
Its also worth remembering there is a lot less maintenance to do on an EV. No oil to change, lubes to replace, belts that break...
Besides the batteries, an EV car should last longer than a gas car.
It doesn't though. Electric cars full of DRM
DRM... which makes you need to replace belts, and oil?
I didn't say they were easier to work on, just lower maintenance. On my gas car i need to change the oil ever 6 months. You dont need to do that with an EV.
I'm mostly referring to the "smart" features. Modern EVs are a not designed to be taken apart and understood
Gas-powered cars can be and will be (if they aren't already) subject to just as much DRM. Modern gas-powered cars have plenty of computers to apply DRM to. The only reason EVs may have more DRM currently is because they were developed from a tech company perspective which has more experience in software to implement that DRM. Running off a battery instead of gas doesn't make a car inherently more DRM-able.
True but I don't see any 2005 EVs on the road
They have the same components except the engine, but they weigh more and the batteries dont last as long as a well maintained engine. EV cars should not last as long.
They have the same components except the engine
- Transmission (usually larger and more expensive than the engine)
- Exhaust, muffler and catalytic converter
- Gas tank, fuel pump and vapor hose
- Ignition coil(s), spark plugs, oil pump, intake and exhaust manifolds and fuel injectors
- Fucking belts
- CV joints, differentials and transfer case (I think)
The main wear points on a car are all related to the engine and powertrain (pistons, transmission, timing belt). EV Tires will go more quickly, due to the increased vehicle weight. I'm not sure how that will impact bushings.
Outside of those, I agree an EV is going to wear similarly.
