Brent Toderian

A typical European car is parked 92% of the time. It spends 1/5th of its driving time looking for parking. Its 5 seats only move 1.5 people. 86% of its fuel never reaches the wheels, & most of the energy that does, moves the car, not people.

Sound efficient?

HT @circulareconomy

Aug 8, 2023 at 8:16pmWeb
Show threadTab CombsAug 8, 2023

@BrentToderian This is 2/3 of the way to being a great graphic.

But it falls apart on that last 1/3 by using the debunked "95% of crashes (#CrashNotAccident) are caused by human error" figure. Debunked because crashes arise from a wide range of interdependent factors, including but extending well beyond the actions of any single human.

They really should have just made it a 2-panel graphic.

Show threadShoo! 🍵Aug 8, 2023
@DrTCombs @BrentToderian Wide range of interdependent factors sounds like randomness
Show threadTab CombsAug 8, 2023
@shoo
Very much not random!
@BrentToderian
Show threadShoo! 🍵Aug 8, 2023
@DrTCombs @BrentToderian would have been 40 minute walk tho :D
Show threadHans HafnerAug 8, 2023
@BrentToderian ‼️🙏
Show threadIncident Creator ❎Aug 9, 2023
@BrentToderian You realise that the dimensions of a 5-seater are more to do with stability and crash safety than how many people you can jam inside, right?
Show threadmathewAug 9, 2023
@vik @BrentToderian If it was about safety a lot more people would be driving Smart cars. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kEQosZzXtZg
Smart Car Fortwo vs Ford F150

YouTube
Show threadIncident Creator ❎Aug 9, 2023
@mathew
Er, no. No they wouldn't. I've been a test drive guinea pig in the last few months and smart they are not.
@BrentToderian
Show threadmathewAug 9, 2023
@vik @BrentToderian That’s just one example. There are plenty more extremely safe small cars.
Show threadrarvaenAug 9, 2023
@vik @BrentToderian so the backseat that isn't utilizes most of the time is there for safety?
Show threadIncident Creator ❎Aug 9, 2023
@rarvaen
The long wheelbase is there for safety, not the seat. Please apply brain.
@BrentToderian
Show threadrarvaenAug 9, 2023
@vik @BrentToderian i know that. But you made a statement that the size of the cars stems from safety measures, so I asked an intentionally dumb question. As if the extra seats a lot of people don't use don't add to the size of the car. People tend to buy cars for the corner cases of their use which also contributes to cars getting bigger and bigger. Hell, even a smart is now over 4m long.
Show threadRadimAug 9, 2023
@BrentToderian And we are speaking about typical European car. I assume the typical American car is far less efficient.
Maybe the time spent searching for parking isn't that bad in America, because it was built for cars. Europe wasn't but we still drive.
Show threadqwazixAug 9, 2023
@BrentToderian and yet it's still cheaper to go from point A to point B using a car than public transport. Cars are heavily subsidised in a lot of hidden ways.
Show threadDuncan WilcockAug 10, 2023

@BrentToderian

This wagon carries 150lbs of groceries, (that’s a respectable beer run) weighs 20lbs, and can fold up in a closet.

Unlike the wagons in the background, you can wheel this one right into the store.

When I’m lucky, my kid pulls it, meaning my personal energy efficiency goes to infinity.

💪🚶💪❤️

#WalkableCities #SafeStreets #VisionZero

Show threadDan WalkerAug 10, 2023
@dunks @BrentToderian wagon crew!
Show threadStadtmobil SuedbadenAug 12, 2023
@BrentToderian that is why we are doing #Carsharing for more then 30 years. Almost half of our fleet is eletric. We are probably gonna hit 50 % electric within the upcomming weeks.
Show threadFrankAug 15, 2023
@BrentToderian And what little transportation a car actually achieves is used to transport someone to a bullshit job to earn enough money to be able to pay for this overpriced useless machine.
Show threadJanne MorenAug 15, 2023

@BrentToderian
"parked 92% of the time." is not a good factoid.

Our kitchen chairs are unused for just as much time. Doesn't mean they are inefficient. Doesn't mean we should get rid of them, or try to share them with our neighbours.

Show threadOblomovAug 15, 2023
@BrentToderian the obvious solution is to have heavier people so more of the energy goes into moving the people than the car, and to spend more time doing the rounds in the car rather than walking, so that the car spends less time parked.
Show threadYvan DecreuxAug 15, 2023

@BrentToderian
I would have expected cars to be parked even more than 92% of the time. 8% of the time means almost 2 hours per day!

Automated cars could help solve some of these problems. They would likely stay parked less, thus reducing the need for parking space. Additionally, not owning a car may cause people to seek out alternative mobility options depending on the circumstances.

Show threadHeßen Wassermann SousaAug 15, 2023
@BrentToderian no, it doesn’t but you need a good public transport network to reduce reliability on the car.
Show threadGargravarAug 25, 2023
@BrentToderian a typical house sits empty 50% of the time. 80% of its rooms are empty at any given moment. It only contains other people for a fraction of a year. Sounds efficient?! No. Ban houses and force people to live in tents.
#bullshitlogic.
Show threadMeercat ✅ 
Aug 29, 2023
@BrentToderian Public transport is the way to go.
And EVs do not solve most of these problems