There's a 1973 video [0] about people shifting away from gas-guzzlers because oil prices have risen so much. I wonder whether we can expect history to repeat itself here:
Soaring SUV sales keep carmakers on collision course with climate policy
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Re: Soaring SUV sales keep carmakers on collision course with climate policy
#12Why are these mutually exclusive? An electric drive train can be fitted to an SUV form factor. In fact, it might be easier to get to an acceptable range (300mi) because there’s more space for more batteries (assuming each battery delivers more range than its weight continues to scale).
I think the easiest way to accelerate decarbonization is to make green tech more desirable independent of the greenness. If people want it, they’ll get it and in that sense SUVs could help achieve climate goals.
Re: Soaring SUV sales keep carmakers on collision course with climate policy
#13[flagged]
I’m in the market for one. When you have two kids that are car seat age, two car seats eat up a lot of room in smaller cars. Then when you and your partner need to go somewhere, there’s barely any room for strollers and diaper bags.
If they made roomier cars I’d be all for it, but they don’t. So I have to buy something that offers room.
Some people don’t want to drive vans.
Re: Soaring SUV sales keep carmakers on collision course with climate policy
#14Re: Soaring SUV sales keep carmakers on collision course with climate policy
#15[flagged]
As a 30 year old, I buy an SUV (well, a crossover, technically) because its a good average between efficiency and carrying capacity. I don't want to have to rent a U-Haul every time I move something bigger than a breadbox. Two adult homes can presumably have a big car and a small car, and prefer to take the most efficient choice for the given trip (and have the shorter commute take the less efficient vehicle), but ge…
> It is, also, safer. I've seen what a minivan does to a Corolla, and I'd much rather be in something the size of a minivan.
Looking at a crash between two vehicles of very different size isn't a fair test. Smaller cars are much more able to avoid getting into wrecks in the first place. We fully expect, simply based on mass, that vans will be better at passive safety, and worse at active safety.
Re: Soaring SUV sales keep carmakers on collision course with climate policy
#16[flagged]
I’ve avoided accidents due to sitting higher in a SUV or truck by seeing what is in front of the driver ahead of me.
That only works if the vehicle in front of you is lower than your own, right? So people will have to get into an arms race and buy higher and higher vehicles to keep that advantage.
Re: Soaring SUV sales keep carmakers on collision course with climate policy
#17[flagged]
Ride height and cool factor. Minivans have ~the same ride height and even more utility (space) if you don’t off-road but lack the cool factor.
Re: Soaring SUV sales keep carmakers on collision course with climate policy
#18[flagged]
As a 30 year old, I buy an SUV (well, a crossover, technically) because its a good average between efficiency and carrying capacity. I don't want to have to rent a U-Haul every time I move something bigger than a breadbox. Two adult homes can presumably have a big car and a small car, and prefer to take the most efficient choice for the given trip (and have the shorter commute take the less efficient vehicle), but ge…
Not sure why you are getting downvoted. I am in the same situation. If all electric SUVs werent priced for the upper class I would probably own one.
Also if you have a big enough family there is no way to haul them around on a tiny car unless you shove some kids in the trunk.
Besides. I am no boomer either.
Re: Soaring SUV sales keep carmakers on collision course with climate policy
#19Earlier quoted context omitted.
As a 30 year old, I buy an SUV (well, a crossover, technically) because its a good average between efficiency and carrying capacity. I don't want to have to rent a U-Haul every time I move something bigger than a breadbox. Two adult homes can presumably have a big car and a small car, and prefer to take the most efficient choice for the given trip (and have the shorter commute take the less efficient vehicle), but ge…
> It is, also, safer. I've seen what a minivan does to a Corolla, and I'd much rather be in something the size of a minivan. Looking at a crash between two vehicles of very different size isn't a fair test. Smaller cars are much more able to avoid getting into wrecks in the first place. We fully expect, simply based on mass, that vans will be better at passive safety, and worse at active safety.
Sometimes there's nothing you can do to avoid an accident with another driver. You can get in a crash standing still at an intersection. In an accident, the biggest car will win. If the average car on the road was a Mini Cooper I wouldn't worry about it. But with the prevalence of SUVs, anyone driving something smaller than a crossover is taking a big personal risk.
Re: Soaring SUV sales keep carmakers on collision course with climate policy
#20Why are these mutually exclusive? An electric drive train can be fitted to an SUV form factor. In fact, it might be easier to get to an acceptable range (300mi) because there’s more space for more batteries (assuming each battery delivers more range than its weight continues to scale). I think the easiest way to accelerate decarbonization is to make green tech more desirable independent of the greenness. If people wa…
Bigger cars are heavier, SUVs have terrible aerodynamic properties, bigger batteries are heavier and consume more resources bring produced. Even electric SUVs aren't really green by any stretch of the imagination.