this post was submitted on 10 May 2024
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What’s the problem with EVs?
It partially fixes a single problem of the many caused by car-dependency and car-centric infrastructure
They partially solve the fuel and the bad air problems. In exchange they damage roads way more (I recall reading that the damage is proportional to the vehicle weight to the fourth power, probably with some more nuance) and that also creates substantially more rubber micro particle pollution. They also happen to be more dangerous in the event of a crash. Plus the additional challenges with grid load, which some people dismiss with silly ideas like having said cars act like load balancers (that would be a mess to scale).
In most cases, EVs are not a solution to mobility, they are a solution to save the car industry from real solutions to climate change, namely spamming trams, trains and buses (in sparse locations) all over the place.
Yes. Road damage is based on vehicle weight. To the 4th power, yes. Heavier vehicles do exponentially more damage than lighter ones. https://www.hagerty.co.uk/articles/opinion/opinion-cars-have-a-weight-problem-and-its-damaging-more-than-the-environment/
But actually it's based on axle weight. This is why Semis have many axles, to spread the weight out.
But actually it's based on tire weight. This is why Semis have doubled wheels on their axles.
But actually it's based on contact pressure. This is why Semis have wider tires than your standard car.
EVs are a step in the right direction.
However, EVs only change one aspect of cars: How they go vroom vroom.
They are still heavy metal boxes operated by random people. Most drivers suck (myself included probably), they are lazy and don't follow the local law on driving.
They are absurdly dangerous, for people inside other cars, themselves, and pedestrian. Anytime someone goes too early with their car it's potentially an accident with death causes. Same if they spin their funny wheel a little too much.
Imagine yourself overtaking a car on the highway. Now let's say the driver slips by accident, wheel stairs to your sidey giant death machine crashes yours from the side, and its a horrible accident.
Besides that, car infrastructure is absurdly expensive, and becomes even more expensive Everytime it needs to be renewed. The city I was at school at is literally one of the poorest in my country after having endless money in the 70s, because they built too many roads. They built some roads not on the ground but in large pillars, and it's literally falling apart.
Lastly, cars take up tons of public space. Cities designed (or rather bulldozed for) cars sprawl, need huge parking lots, huge streets, produce noise pollution, regular pollution.
There is much more but that should suffice for now.
That being said, I doubt we can ever go truly car free. Remote regions do not have enough people for good public transit to be maintainable, and the distances are often too long for walking or biking. Deliveries need some kind of individual vehicle. Some of that can be addressed with EVs and car sharing.
Sadly, EVs are being presented as the all around solution.