[meme] Why do people only seem to mean cars when they talk about electric and/or autonomous vehicles?
[meme] Why do people only seem to mean cars when they talk about electric and/or autonomous vehicles?
Because to them, 'car' and 'vehicle' mean the same thing.
I find these discussions seem to be dominated by young urbanites. People who don't need a car to get around as opposed to the huge number of people who live in areas that require a car to function. They are also physically able to bike many miles every day in any weather.
I took public transportation when I lived in a big city and was glad to have it but anytime I needed to go beyond a limited area in the city I needed a car. Now I live in an area with very limited public transportation and very very little is in walking distance and biking for my needs is not an alternative. Frequently using 100% public transportation routes would increase your travel time by a large amount, time you may not have or want to sacrifice. If you live in country like France it seems like the transit unions have a stranglehold on the nation as they can shut down everyone at will, if you have a car you at least have an alternative. There are also breakdown issues, maintenance shutdowns, etc. You also run into the last mile issue a lot. Where you need to go is frequently not a reasonable distance from the stop. I usually needed a car to get to the train stations for instance.
Because then they keep the "freedom" of driving, but without the guilt of pollution. That and, I mean, the community is called "fuck cars." Obviously someone not taking a closer look at the true root of what this community wants (city planning that isn't car-centric) would just think "but electric cars ain't bad."
One of the things I have about electric scooters are countries that pass legislation to prevent having seats on them. That is seriously more dangerous than standing up on a scooter, they should just stick to throttling the top speed. Another similar thing that I hate are countries that require bicycles to have pedals and be power-assist only. Completely arbitrary laws that seem more invested in assuring major sellers are able to sell their stock instead of get outdone by innovation.
See and I get the opposite problem.
I wanted to buy an electric motorcycle since I use my old gas bike to make the same trip for work two times a month. The trip is 215 km and only goes though one town (about 45 km from one end). This is easy with most gas motorcycles and I thought that an EV version of a hwy cruiser should have no issue with say a 250 km range (since I stay the night I can charge from a slow plug).
Well let me tell you how frustrating "city" brain is about EVs. I mostly got e-bikes (like a bicycle) tossed at me, and the few that make the cut (Damon HyperSport, for example) are geared like a rocket and all the stats are based on city riding. 200 km max speed and no hwy gearing is stupid, but hey CITY CITY CITY! Where are the non insane vehicles? I don't want to ride a 0-60 in <3 second monster, I don't want to be curled up for 3 hours on a crotch rocket, and I don't want to deal with an app just to charge. We don't all live in your cities, some that do need to leave said cities, and until a normal non toy like EV vehicle hits the market the wider world will lump it all in the same bullshit pile.
I don't have the option for a public transit, hell they killed the trains and buses off even if I wanted to do the milk run.
I can't wait for the REM (bottom left picture) to open, it's in less than a week!! After so many years, at last.
This video explains really well exactly why transit is better than cars: https://yewtu.be/watch?v=j4s9WDDRE2A
This one too: https://yewtu.be/watch?v=WiI1AcsJlYU
It's what having a carbrain does to you.
I just want the vehicles from Minority Report, is that so much to ask for?
Because I don't want to stay in the city all the time?
Because:
Electric bikes are often death traps because people don't realize they need to wear actual real protection and not just a rinky dinky helmet (if even that) at speed. And you still have the same problem of disrupting traffic because you are now going "too fast for the bike lane" and "too slow for the car lane"
Electric trains are very much a thing. Pretty much any city based train and even a lot of regional ones are electric because it is literally easier for everyone involved. The issue is with buses where swapping out the batteries is cost and time prohibitive.
And cars are still the primary mode of transportation for significant parts of the world. And public transportation is amazing for cities and interconnected towns (aka "megacities") but not so much for people who live in small towns in the middle of nowhere. You still need cars for that and not getting a face full of exhaust when one drives past you is a really nice thing.
