Cory DoctorowJun 26, 2024

EVs won't save the planet. Ultimately, the material bill for billions of individual vehicles and the unavoidable geometry of more cars-more traffic-more roads-greater distances-more cars dictate that the future of our cities and planet requires public transit - *lots* of it.

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If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this thread to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/06/26/unplanned-obsolescence/#better-micetraps

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Pluralistic: Cleantech has an enshittification problem (26 Jun 2024) – Pluralistic: Daily links from Cory Doctorow

Show threadTom Andraszek
@pluralistic - perhaps bikes and especially e-bikes and e-scooters should be added to the list: bikes used to have easily interchangeable parts, now you may get a bike that is very hard or costly to repair, because it uses unique or rare parts. With e-bikes and e-scooters, as long as the electronics work, the problem is the battery and chargers. I could not find a battery that matched the dimensions and the electrical interface (location of pins) of my old one.
Jun 26, 2024 at 10:48pmWeb
Show threadkeithzgJun 26, 2024
@tom_andraszek @pluralistic Capitalism's love of proprietary parts is a very big problem. Standardization can go a long way, and the EU has shown it's even possible to enforce such in our existing socioeconomic structure---just the other day I remember telling someone that our best bet hope for the e-bike space is that the EU drops a regulatory interoperability mandate for them like they did with USB-C for phones.
Show threadSHODAN Jun 27, 2024
@keithzg @pluralistic @tom_andraszek Standardisation in tech can be amazing if done right, my desktop PC can be repaired with off the shelf components if it happened to develop a fault. The modularity of it all is its greatest strength as a platform.
Show threadJon McLeodJun 26, 2024
@tom_andraszek @pluralistic Yeah. You would think -- wouldn't you -- that they would see economic benefit in making the batteries conformant to a common industry open standard. Cars too. Could pull into a servo on the highway and just swap depleted battery for a fresh battery. When "open standards" emerge in an industry, it's a sign that the industry has matured.
Show threadLisPiJun 26, 2024
@tom_andraszek @pluralistic This makes me think that conversion kits are preferable to pre-made electric bikes.
Show threadsalguod, man 🍂🍁 lazysupperJun 26, 2024

@tom_andraszek
I think the majority of bicycles have standardized parts (at least in Japan) but I hear you about ebikes.

And my xp wasn't even about the electronics.

When our ebike needed a new back tire, I had to wait 2 weeks for the shop to special order it from the manufacturer because of proprietary design/size.

A bike tire!!

I've been changing them since I was 7.

I was flabbergasted, furious, and a couple of other F words.

#RightToRepair needs to be an actuality.

@pluralistic

Show threadstairJun 27, 2024
@tom_andraszek @pluralistic there’s an irreparable Bosch motor on bikes sold in the UK that fails when it rains https://amp.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/article/2024/jun/15/the-big-problem-is-water-uk-ebike-owners-plagued-by-failing-motors
‘The big problem is water’: UK ebike owners plagued by failing motors

Repair business is booming as owners complain of their units needing to be replaced up to five times

The Guardian