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Try to get China to shut down their pollution causing factories and see how far that will get you. And people are so stoked about getting ice vehicles off American roads.
China Emits More Carbon Dioxide Than The U.S. and EU Combined
That's true, but it does so with a far larger population and at less than half the per capita rate that the US does--meanwhile, China's
Quote:
Originally Posted by mustangman66
Thats my fear...the population is always going to be increasing. With less vehicles on the road, and the current efficiency of them, I would imagine that the smog would slowly disappear, the canals in Venice would become clear and that the Himalayas would be visible as well. I am not against electric vehicles, I just feel that a reduced population combined with our current technologies, they may perhaps negate the need for a alternative.
You can have multiple measures happening simultaneously
You are right, the rest of the world does not have an obsession of driving around in construction vehicles.
Why thank you! ...even though the person designating me as "not the average American" is someone in London
I'm not obssessed with driving around in a "construction vehicle" but they do serve their purpose well. I do hope and think that EV's will become the norm in trucks as they will in cars....might take a bit longer.
I think you're picking nits. The reality is that a significant majority of Americans making that same trip are going to opt for the 2 hours flight for around $100 (often less) round trip vs. the 11 hour drive which costs more in fuel than a plane ticket. It is atypical in that most people wouldn't opt to do the same thing you're doing.
You are correct when speaking of pre covid and possibly post covid but the pandemic changed our mode of travel as we bought a truck and camper to travel as opposed to flying and using hotels.
Thats my fear...the population is always going to be increasing. With less vehicles on the road, and the current efficiency of them, I would imagine that the smog would slowly disappear, the canals in Venice would become clear and that the Himalayas would be visible as well. I am not against electric vehicles, I just feel that a reduced population combined with our current technologies, they may perhaps negate the need for a alternative.
So what do you propose to reduce the population?
Population growth and technological advancement are constants throughout history. Barring a plague (of a significantly larger scale than COVID), population growth is going to continue. Hoping for that to change is an exercise in futility. Similarly, technology isn't going to simply stop advancing. With EV's, we're rapidly approaching a point at which the technology is going to surpass ICEs. It's far more likely that the technology advances to a point at which ICEs are replaced on city streets by EVs than population growth reverses and we stop investing in technological advancements. If the two symptoms of air pollution in cities are population growth and ICE vehicles on the street, the much, much easier issue to address is advancing technology to replace ICEs (as well as providing viable, alternative transit options so not as many people have to drive) as opposed to trying to reduce population.
You are correct when speaking of pre covid and possibly post covid but the pandemic changed our mode of travel as we bought a truck and camper to travel as opposed to flying and using hotels.
Do you think even close to the majority of Americans are currently buying trucks and campers? And even though camper sales (and rentals) went up during the pandemic, do you expect that trend to continue indefinitely to the point that something approaching a majority of Americans own a truck/camper combo or an RV?
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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Quote:
Originally Posted by lrfox
I think you're picking nits. The reality is that a significant majority of Americans making that same trip are going to opt for the 2 hours flight for around $100 (often less) round trip vs. the 11 hour drive which costs more in fuel than a plane ticket. It is atypical in that most people wouldn't opt to do the same thing you're doing.
That depends on the trip. We often drive the 13 hours/750 miles to Lake Tahoe, for example, because the drive is fun and scenic. If we flew to Reno, we would still have to rent a car there to get to the lake. With the Outback getting 33 mpg, even at $3 that's only $81 in gas each way, airfare for the two of us is $142 each way, plus rental car = a lot more expensive. Even if we took my F150 5.0 V8 at 19 mpg it would be cheaper,
at $118 each way.
Do you think even close to the majority of Americans are currently buying trucks and campers? And even though camper sales (and rentals) went up during the pandemic, do you expect that trend to continue indefinitely to the point that something approaching a majority of Americans own a truck/camper combo or an RV?
I would say a majority of my family and friends own some type of RV but I don't think a majority of people in the USA do. I think the trend of increasing RV sales caused by the pandemic will end when the pandemic is under control (hope that is very soon). I look forward to Manufacturers providing EV options for Motorhomes, large trucks, and light duty trucks and this is definitely coming.
That depends on the trip. We often drive the 13 hours/750 miles to Lake Tahoe, for example, because the drive is fun and scenic. If we flew to Reno, we would still have to rent a car there to get to the lake. With the Outback getting 33 mpg, even at $3 that's only $81 in gas each way, airfare for the two of us is $142 each way, plus rental car = a lot more expensive. Even if we took my F150 5.0 V8 at 19 mpg it would be cheaper,
at $118 each way.
Right, though that doesn't include wear and tear on the vehicle, the value of the added time (and extra paid time off, if applicable), tolls, food/beverage costs, added hotel nights if stopping overnight, etc. There are a lot of factors beyond gas/airfare.
I'm not saying that nobody drives long distances in America. I've driven from MA and ME to Florida several times. I drove from Boston to Norfolk this past October (assisting with a move). People can and do opt to drive long distances. But there is a tipping point in terms of hours on the road vs. flying where a significant majority of people are going to opt to fly. When you're talking 10+ hours in the car, I'd be really surprised if even 1/3 of Americans are opting to drive. I've flown to Florida and Norfolk/VA Beach far more than I've done the drive.
Enjoying the back and forth banter in this thread. I suspect the bottom line is, the marketplace will determine what type of personal transportation we eventually use. Once motive batteries come down in price to below that of internal combustion engines I think you all will objectively find that operating an EV is a fraction of the cost of operating an ICE vehicle (less maintenance, more reliable, cheaper to "fuel-up").
So, it will be what will be. I figure we'll all have a better handle on where this issue is going sometime during the next five years or so.
I would say a majority of my family and friends own some type of RV but I don't think a majority of people in the USA do. I think the trend of increasing RV sales caused by the pandemic will end when the pandemic is under control (hope that is very soon). I look forward to Manufacturers providing EV options for Motorhomes, large trucks, and light duty trucks and this is definitely coming.
An RV trip is very much on my bucket list. Prior to the pandemic, we were seriously considering several rentals in fall 2020 to road trip to some Patriots away games. I'm glad we didn't go through with reservations - even if the pandemic didn't happen, the team was miserable. EV versions would be really nice.
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...even though the person designating me as "not the average American" is someone in London
