Teslas Aren't the Future
theweek.com
Teslas Aren't the Future
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Re: Teslas Aren't the Future
#2We're not about to raze suburban cities to the ground, so electric cars are a good in-between.
Re: Teslas Aren't the Future
#3We're not about to raze suburban cities to the ground, so electric cars are a good in-between.
Yeah, the carbon cost of abandoning the suburbs and building enough apartment units for everyone there is rarely considered when people say we have to abandon all cars.
People are going to abandon a $200k investment to pay high rent in a city? Because if everyone has to leave the suburbs, no one will buy those houses.
I fully support increasing urbanization, but hate for electric cars (because it's not the "perfect" solution: public transit) like this is not well thought through.
Re: Teslas Aren't the Future
#4I completely agree with this article.
Re: Teslas Aren't the Future
#5We're not about to raze suburban cities to the ground, so electric cars are a good in-between.
There is no reason not to consider getting better mass transit into suburbs, along with densification of suburbs and other land use changes.
Some simple alterations to zoning/planning regulations would lead to more mixed residential/commercial uses even in already-existing developments. And that would make working and commuting locally _within_ the suburbs themselves more feasible.
Put it this way, if we were to take all the _private_ capital being invested in advanced automobiles, self-driving tech, etc. and somehow have that invested in _public_ infrastructure -- the cost effectiveness of mass transit into suburbs would look entirely different.
I think this is hard for North Americans to really imagine, because it just runs contrary to all senses of pragmatism, not to mention a general ideological adherence to private enterprise as primary driver of development. But there are definitely places in Europe and Asia where this has been to some degree the case. On my last trip to visit family in Germany we were able to get out into very rural areas, villages, natural areas, etc. completely on public transit.
Re: Teslas Aren't the Future
#6We're not about to raze suburban cities to the ground, so electric cars are a good in-between.
Better public transportation plus biking/walking/skating can handle the lion's share of this.
Re: Teslas Aren't the Future
#7[deleted]
Re: Teslas Aren't the Future
#8TL;DR: Claims a future of "small, personal electric vehicles like e-bikes, scooters, or micro-cars that are yet to exist. That's it."
Our road networks (urban, AND suburban & rural) host an extremely wide range of vehicle types. While the "small personal vehicles" touted might become popular (with a tweaked road network) it's unlikely to be at the exclusion of all the other vehicle types.
Sometimes you want to put your family in a {thing} and go somewhere together. We still need to haul/move/ship/deliver things. Those requirements don't go away.
Re: Teslas Aren't the Future
#9> healthier cities
> move through cities
> cities populated with these vehicles
This article seems to be forgetting how many people don't live in cities.
> For long distance trips, inclement weather, or for the elderly or disabled, of course cars will still play a role.
In the part of the US I live in, about about 4 continuous months of the year could easily be described as "inclement weather" and many of my coworker's daily commutes would qualify as "long distance trips" (with no mass-transit alternatives). A more traditional vehicle is not an option, it's a requirement, and electric vehicles seem like the most intimidate route to meeting that requirement while reducing the environmental impact.
While I think focusing on alternatives to cars in urban areas is a great idea, and has potentially massive benefits beyond even the obvious environmental impact, any long-term view of the automotive industry has to take into consideration the needs of the roughly 50% of the population that doesn't live in urban centers.
Re: Teslas Aren't the Future
#10We're not about to raze suburban cities to the ground, so electric cars are a good in-between.
This is the right way to think about it. EVs are a transitional technology. They allow us to maintain the current lifestyle choices while simultaneously empowering the reduction of reliance on fossil fuels. One can make no further statements without venturing into speculation on potential "best" futures that many find objectionable.
I'd personally like to see a future in which housing in cities is much denser, public transportation much better and private automobiles are considered a nuisance to be born by the relatively few who need them. But, even though most people consider that an extreme position, there are a lot of ideas that are commonplace today that were previously considered extreme.