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Teslas Aren't the Future

theweek.com

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Re: Teslas Aren't the Future

#21

Post by teucris »

bwanab wrote: post #10
alexlesuper wrote: post #2

We'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…

An example I’ve used to some effect is payment systems. How we pay for stuff has changed tremendously, and more and more business is done through Venmo/Cash/Apple Pay/NFC/etc. But that transition needed some major infrastructure: first direct transfers through payment systems (eg debit/credit cards) then electronic payment systems. I see transit similarly, and electric cars are like credit cards - a technology that enables a transition.

Re: Teslas Aren't the Future

#22

Post by tharne »

Barrin92 wrote: post #14
tharne wrote: post #11

Media outlets need to start hiring folks who live outside of a handful of trendy metro areas like New York, San Francisco, or DC (or in this case, Toronto). It's quite obvious that the author has not spent much time in the types of communities where most people actually live, nor does he seem to have much familiarity with the concept of child rearing. I'm not going to load my young children and 12 bags of groceries o…

>It's quite obvious that the author has not spent much time in the types of communities where most people actually live, nor does he seem to have much familiarity with the concept of child rearing. Urbanisation around the world is rapidly increasing with the formation of urban areas in China or India that might include more than a hundred million people. It's very ironic that you're accusing the author of not getting…

China and India are both building out the suburbs much the same way as the U.S. and Europe did following WWII. Suburbs may be inelegant and tacky to a lot of folks, but they're functional and people seem to like them. The citizens of China and India are no exception.

Re: Teslas Aren't the Future

#23

Post by tharne »

seanmcdirmid wrote: post #13
tharne wrote: post #11

Media outlets need to start hiring folks who live outside of a handful of trendy metro areas like New York, San Francisco, or DC (or in this case, Toronto). It's quite obvious that the author has not spent much time in the types of communities where most people actually live, nor does he seem to have much familiarity with the concept of child rearing. I'm not going to load my young children and 12 bags of groceries o…

Your kid should be in a booster by 5 or 6, and then they transition out of that between 8 and 12 (4’9”). Once they are in a booster, you can conceivably carry it around and use a ride share. See https://www.healthychildren.org/English/safety-prevention/on... Buses and trains/trams don’t require child seats, so they can always be used. Some states also exempt taxis and passenger van services. Uber offered car seats in…

I don't think it's practical to lug around 2 or 3 boosters. Possible, yes, but a terrible user experience.

Re: Teslas Aren't the Future

#24

Post by seanmcdirmid »

tharne wrote: post #22
Barrin92 wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>It's quite obvious that the author has not spent much time in the types of communities where most people actually live, nor does he seem to have much familiarity with the concept of child rearing. Urbanisation around the world is rapidly increasing with the formation of urban areas in China or India that might include more than a hundred million people. It's very ironic that you're accusing the author of not getting…

China and India are both building out the suburbs much the same way as the U.S. and Europe did following WWII. Suburbs may be inelegant and tacky to a lot of folks, but they're functional and people seem to like them. The citizens of China and India are no exception.

Suburbs in many countries are where people live if they are too poor to live in the city. This is definitely true in France, it is true in China as well (you live in changping if you can’t afford to live in Beijing).

Re: Teslas Aren't the Future

#25

Post by seanmcdirmid »

tharne wrote: post #23
seanmcdirmid wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Your kid should be in a booster by 5 or 6, and then they transition out of that between 8 and 12 (4’9”). Once they are in a booster, you can conceivably carry it around and use a ride share. See https://www.healthychildren.org/English/safety-prevention/on... Buses and trains/trams don’t require child seats, so they can always be used. Some states also exempt taxis and passenger van services. Uber offered car seats in…

I don't think it's practical to lug around 2 or 3 boosters. Possible, yes, but a terrible user experience.

If you have 2 or 3 kids, sure, that would suck. Anyways, it is a relevant strategy for us (one kid) when we visit China and a car rental isn’t possible. Of course, they don’t have child seat laws anyways, but that option doesn’t sit well with the wife.

Re: Teslas Aren't the Future

#26

Post by Robotbeat »

seanmcdirmid wrote: post #25
tharne wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't think it's practical to lug around 2 or 3 boosters. Possible, yes, but a terrible user experience.

If you have 2 or 3 kids, sure, that would suck. Anyways, it is a relevant strategy for us (one kid) when we visit China and a car rental isn’t possible. Of course, they don’t have child seat laws anyways, but that option doesn’t sit well with the wife.

Roughly speaking, the average family has to have about 2 kids or more (to make up for people who choose not to have children).

So the situation of having 2 kids is pretty typical.

Re: Teslas Aren't the Future

#27

Post by condercet »

seanmcdirmid wrote: post #24
tharne wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

China and India are both building out the suburbs much the same way as the U.S. and Europe did following WWII. Suburbs may be inelegant and tacky to a lot of folks, but they're functional and people seem to like them. The citizens of China and India are no exception.

Suburbs in many countries are where people live if they are too poor to live in the city. This is definitely true in France, it is true in China as well (you live in changping if you can’t afford to live in Beijing).

This is rapidly becoming the case in the US as well.

Re: Teslas Aren't the Future

#28

Post by seanmcdirmid »

Robotbeat wrote: post #26
seanmcdirmid wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you have 2 or 3 kids, sure, that would suck. Anyways, it is a relevant strategy for us (one kid) when we visit China and a car rental isn’t possible. Of course, they don’t have child seat laws anyways, but that option doesn’t sit well with the wife.

Roughly speaking, the average family has to have about 2 kids or more (to make up for people who choose not to have children). So the situation of having 2 kids is pretty typical.

The average is 1.9. You are supposed to space them out a bit, however. Also, 20%of all kids are only children, big cities one child is more common (Seattle its 47%).

Re: Teslas Aren't the Future

#29

Post by cheald »

ForHackernews wrote: post #15
mreome wrote: post #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…

The majority (>60%) of Americans live in cities: https://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2015/cb15-33.... A environment designed and built to make car-ownership a requirement (your word) has massive ecological and sociological downsides, and we should be doing what we can to shift away from it.

Phoenix is the 5th most populous city in the US and spans 517 square miles. The Phoenix Metro area spans over 14,000 square miles. Good luck navigating that on your scooter - especially with kids or cargo.

"Cities" don't necessarily mean "densely-packed sardine cans where people conduct their entire lives within a 2 mile radius of home".

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