Global sales of combustion engine cars have peaked • Hacker News Board

Re: Global sales of combustion engine cars have peaked

#321

Post by rozap » Tue, Mar 04, 2025, 5:27 PM UTC

eftpotrm wrote: post #298

toss1 wrote: post #258

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, except ICE fires are a lot easier to put out (possibly partly because of long experience developing tools & techniques vs for electric fires). Electric cars were also banned at most racetracks for years (not sure if that is still true).

I'm a software engineer not a firefighter, but my understanding is that it's significantly an experience thing. Lithium battery fires clearly aren't trivial to deal with and do burn hotter than petroleum fires, but they're also very much less frequent and firefighters are learning how to handle them. I'm not sure what the specific issue would be with race tracks. The average road course is very open and a very contro…

It seems that most tracks in the US allow EVs now. A handful of EVs regularly race in 24 hours of lemons which operates all over the US. They don't have charging infrastructure though, so there have been some...creative solutions.

Re: Global sales of combustion engine cars have peaked

#322

Post by snowwrestler » Tue, Mar 04, 2025, 6:20 PM UTC

bArray wrote: post #308

snowwrestler wrote: post #209

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In the long run, society goes to 100% electric transportation due to global warming. Any analysis that treats this as a simple matter of consumer choice is going to miss the biggest driver of adoption. Maybe some alternate carbon-neutral fuel for combustion is possible, but all the ones we’ve tried so far have lost out to electric.

> In the long run, society goes to 100% electric transportation due to global warming. Any analysis that treats this as a simple matter of consumer choice is going to miss the biggest driver of adoption. As @Ray20 pointed out, this is Western thinking. The only factor that will flip most poorer people is a direct economic incentive. Who cares about the weather when your children cannot eat. > Maybe some alternate car…

Definitely going to be hard to understand incentives if you think it's just "the weather."

Re: Global sales of combustion engine cars have peaked

#323

Post by aqme28 » Tue, Mar 04, 2025, 6:23 PM UTC

consp wrote: post #184

aqme28 wrote: post #160

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Also an order of magnitude or two better for the climate than an electric car.

As anecdotal example: My diy ebike will do about 80km unassisted (aka peddling for show) with .85kwh. Looking at what scooter should be able to do when not going too fast is a big order of magnitude (but not two) in kwh/100k. Though headwind is going to matter more on a bike/scooter than a car. I guess with a more efficient motor you could get up to two.

Don’t forget materials and manufacturing

Re: Global sales of combustion engine cars have peaked

#324

Post by FirmwareBurner » Tue, Mar 04, 2025, 7:04 PM UTC

NewJazz wrote: post #311

FirmwareBurner wrote: post #199

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Where did I say there are no chargers? Charging on long trips increases the time of the journey by a lot. And many EU drivers don't have money for a new Ioniq 6.

This you? Maybe the wealthy Benelux and Scandinavia have top EV charring infrastructure but a lot of central, eastern and southern Europe is lacking

What was incorrect about that statement? Are you saying EV infrastructure in Bulgaria and Poland is on par with Benelux and Scandinavia?

Re: Global sales of combustion engine cars have peaked

#325

Post by NewJazz » Tue, Mar 04, 2025, 7:39 PM UTC

FirmwareBurner wrote: post #324

NewJazz wrote: post #311

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This you? Maybe the wealthy Benelux and Scandinavia have top EV charring infrastructure but a lot of central, eastern and southern Europe is lacking

What was incorrect about that statement? Are you saying EV infrastructure in Bulgaria and Poland is on par with Benelux and Scandinavia?

So are you saying there are not enough chargers or not? You seem to be contradicting yourself from my perspective.

Re: Global sales of combustion engine cars have peaked

#326

Post by panstromek » Tue, Mar 04, 2025, 7:40 PM UTC

xboxnolifes wrote: post #310

panstromek wrote: post #304

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I can't tell whether you're trying to make an argument with this comment or what's the reason for pointing that out.

The point is peak oil as a concept has existed for a long time, and we have extended way past its deadline before. It relies on not having technological advancement for accessing more oil.

Sure but that's not really argument for anything, it's just hopium. Oil is a finite resource, it will run out. Just because some breakthrough shift the timelines doesn't mean that the analysis isn't sound. There's no guarantee that another breakthrough is always coming.

Re: Global sales of combustion engine cars have peaked

#327

Post by r00fus » Tue, Mar 04, 2025, 7:44 PM UTC

elric wrote: post #222

xnx wrote: post #23

Even in cities that are pretty hostile to bikes, electric bikes/scooters are an amazing middle point between walking and all the expense of a car (purchase, loans, fuel, maintenance, insurance, registration, tickets, etc.).

From what I've seen, scooters and electric bikes aren't competition for cars, but for public transport.

Where I live public transport allows you to take your bike, ebike or scooter onboard. I think this is the future (maybe not subways but lightrail/bus)

Re: Global sales of combustion engine cars have peaked

#328

Post by aqueueaqueue » Tue, Mar 04, 2025, 7:50 PM UTC

devnullbrain wrote: post #182

aqueueaqueue wrote: post #174

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Let me guess ... probably drunks so guess drinking culture. Maybe UK. Big city with enough canals for this to be an issue ... probably Birmingham?

Close, think more northern.

Liverpool was my other guess

Re: Global sales of combustion engine cars have peaked

#329

Post by LoganDark » Tue, Mar 04, 2025, 8:24 PM UTC

forgetfreeman wrote: post #197

LoganDark wrote: post #170

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Note that electric bikes/scooters get approximately zero consideration from cars. I was traveling in a bike lane last year and a truck just turned right into me. I easily could have died if not for my helmet. (Which received a glowing 5-star review for that performance, btw.)

The tech itself is sound but there appears to be some unresolved issues around sound ridership practices that could be addressed. E-scooters were introduced locally a few years ago by a couple of rental ap companies and attitudes of local drivers have shifted to naked hostility in response to users flagrant disregard for both traffic laws and common sense. Understand I make no effort to excuse the behavior of motoris…

In my jurisdiction it's literally illegal to make a right turn without ensuring the bike lane is entirely clear. Not to say that legality has ever dictated driver behavior, but what happened definitely wasn't just me impeding traffic.

Re: Global sales of combustion engine cars have peaked

#330

Post by forgetfreeman » Tue, Mar 04, 2025, 8:28 PM UTC

LoganDark wrote: post #329

forgetfreeman wrote: post #197

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The tech itself is sound but there appears to be some unresolved issues around sound ridership practices that could be addressed. E-scooters were introduced locally a few years ago by a couple of rental ap companies and attitudes of local drivers have shifted to naked hostility in response to users flagrant disregard for both traffic laws and common sense. Understand I make no effort to excuse the behavior of motoris…

In my jurisdiction it's literally illegal to make a right turn without ensuring the bike lane is entirely clear. Not to say that legality has ever dictated driver behavior, but what happened definitely wasn't just me impeding traffic.

Allow me to stress my total lack of support for motorist behavior. I rode a liter bike for a number of years and got so inured to motorist-induced near-death experiences that I wouldn't even comment to my coworkers on the days only a single driver tried to kill me on either my morning commute or when I left the office for lunch. I get it, but getting it doesn't change attitudes, aptitude, or attentiveness of the other folks on the road that have a weight advantage measured in tons. Full Disclosure: I loathe cyclists on the road. I find the act of intentionally putting oneself at risk for the privilege of presenting an impediment to normal traffic just insufferably self-absorbed and a troll of the first order. That said I give a full lane when passing or slow to match speed at a safe follow distance if passing isn't a safe option. Just because I find it to be nuisance behavior isn't grounds to hassle or threaten anyone, the roadway is a public resource after all.