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 threadPeter BrownJun 26, 2024

@pluralistic two unintended consequences of the move towards electric vehicles is that they are at their best on short journeys, not travelling transcontinental.
And they are also at their best at speeds under 40 miles an hour, becoming very greedy over 60.

Both of these factors will help modal shift to mass transit across longer distances and should help to reduce average traffic speeds.

Show threadJohn DetersJun 27, 2024
@peterbrown @pluralistic Almost all passenger vehicles become "very greedy" over 60, regardless of fuel type. EVs just put the power number conveniently on the dashboard so you can see it for yourself.
Show threadOggie

@targetdrone @peterbrown @pluralistic
You know what the single biggest trend that lowered fuel usage and also lowered average car speed across the board, when they finally did a huge study over it? (I wish I could find the in depth thing, but my google-fu is weak)

It was the move to show active efficency on the dashboard. It turns out, if you see that your fuel MPG (this was pre electric) drops when you do something, the average driver...doesn't do it as much.

Always stuck in my brain.

Jun 27, 2024 at 2:43amWeb