Ecology and vehicles
- Thread starter Neddo
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http://www.counterpunch.org/2006/09/21/10-reasons-cars-suck/ lol at reasons
Joey D
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- 47,571
- Lakes of the North, MI
- GTP_Joey
- GTP Joey
I don't think environmental concerns are even in the top 5 biggest problems for the auto industry. Vehicles and their manufacturing process continue to get cleaner since the public is more aware of the environment now than they have ever been. People also are more in tune with the price of fuel and demand for more fuel efficient vehicles is much higher now too, so in order to make money companies will continue to downsize engines and focus on make cars get better mpgs. This however is really only a thing in the Western world. Countries like China continually don't car nor will they care for a long time, and there's not much we can do about that.
To me, the biggest problem is people simply not wanting a car or a license since they have no interest in driving. There is also a growing trend of people keeping their cars longer and longer instead of buying new cars all the time. I think as a forum of mostly automotive enthusiasts it's hard for us to conceptualize someone not wanting a car but I believe people holding licenses have dropped something like 20% in the past 20 years or so.
To me, the biggest problem is people simply not wanting a car or a license since they have no interest in driving. There is also a growing trend of people keeping their cars longer and longer instead of buying new cars all the time. I think as a forum of mostly automotive enthusiasts it's hard for us to conceptualize someone not wanting a car but I believe people holding licenses have dropped something like 20% in the past 20 years or so.
Joey D
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- Lakes of the North, MI
- GTP_Joey
- GTP Joey
Why though? If you can afford to buy and maintain the vehicles it shouldn't really matter. It also wouldn't make a ton of sense if you have children that are of driving age since they are going to want their own vehicle. That's not even consider people who have a weekend fun car or even a racecar. My family is only two people yet we have 3 cars and for a while we actually had 4.
- 24,659
- Anoka, MN
Adding onto what @Joey D said, you can only drive one at a time any ways so I don't think a car limit would really do a whole lot.
One thing I think needs to change and to some point has is the size of vehicles people buy. Most people really only need a mid-size car at most and I have seen a very big increase in compact cars on the roads so I think car buyers are realizing this as well. Truck buyers seem to be realizing this slowly as well as I've seen a growing number of smaller trucks, granted 2/3 of trucks on the road here are still full-size beasts.
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- 1,035
- United States
- LM7325
As has been said already, cars are much better on the environment than the days of no cats and dual 4bbl carbs running on leaded high test. As time goes on they are getting cleaner and more efficient. Plus, if this blue ball came back from what killed off the dinosaurs then nothing we can do is irreversible in the long term. Eventually the sun will eat us probably, seems one the size of ours doesn't get the best fuel economy...
- 24,659
- Anoka, MN
- 1,035
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- LM7325
I can see people living in a city with proper mass transit having no need with a car. I don't live in a city though, and mass transit in the closest one to me is a joke. I need a vehicle to do most anything here.
Plus there is no such thing as irreversible damage. The world will recover once we destroy ourselves, it may take millions of years, regardless Earth is a pretty tough old rock...
Plus there is no such thing as irreversible damage. The world will recover once we destroy ourselves, it may take millions of years, regardless Earth is a pretty tough old rock...
- 7,635
- Exorcet
- OE Exorcet
Why make it law? What stops you from having just two cars, or none? What if all three or more cars happen to be super efficient? What if the family is just big?
Well, the Sun is a pretty big driver of global temperature. It's also continually warming with time. That's actually what's projected to be the final extinction event on Earth, excessive solar heating. Nature certainly has some big effects on the environment all by itself. The biggest ones have had a far larger impact that anything humanity has done.
I always wondered how much would pollution be reduced if there was no car enthusiasts ie driving for fun. I read that it would have decent effects. But same could be said for other enthusiasms.
Making unnecessary books that nobody gives 2 craps about is bad for environment. But it's taste and art as they say, so these 2 can stay.
Car enthusiasts are criticised for evaluating "unimportant" factors, but same is ok for lets say food or art enthusiasts. Ugh it's unfair. And don't get me started on sports and entertainment.
And BTW what is this bull***** "Friendly or Lethal? Cars have two opposite personalities. One is friendly and attractive the other is destructive and can be lethal. The desire to own a car is linked to pleasure, sexuality, convenience and freedom. Men lust for big, prestigious cars they way they lust for women and women desire men with big, prestigious cars. Men are also interested in power, performance and want to know something about the engine, although modern engines are sufficiently complex to discourage even the professional mechanic. Some of the engine complexity involves electronic monitoring and adjustment of engine performance under different operating conditions. Several devices are added to the engine to handle air flow in, fuel delivery and exhaust out. Computers have been added to monitor and control engine, brake and transmission operation. The design of new hybrid vehicles involves even more complexity with electronic sensors feeding data to computers that manage every system. The cost of repairs will increase as will the demand for new sophistication from mechanics. The most advanced designs use only black box modules that cannot be repaired at the local garage but can be replaced with new or rebuild modules. This might be a wonderful solution, but only if you can afford it. "
http://www.nutramed.com/environment/cars.htm
Making unnecessary books that nobody gives 2 craps about is bad for environment. But it's taste and art as they say, so these 2 can stay.
Car enthusiasts are criticised for evaluating "unimportant" factors, but same is ok for lets say food or art enthusiasts. Ugh it's unfair. And don't get me started on sports and entertainment.
And BTW what is this bull***** "Friendly or Lethal? Cars have two opposite personalities. One is friendly and attractive the other is destructive and can be lethal. The desire to own a car is linked to pleasure, sexuality, convenience and freedom. Men lust for big, prestigious cars they way they lust for women and women desire men with big, prestigious cars. Men are also interested in power, performance and want to know something about the engine, although modern engines are sufficiently complex to discourage even the professional mechanic. Some of the engine complexity involves electronic monitoring and adjustment of engine performance under different operating conditions. Several devices are added to the engine to handle air flow in, fuel delivery and exhaust out. Computers have been added to monitor and control engine, brake and transmission operation. The design of new hybrid vehicles involves even more complexity with electronic sensors feeding data to computers that manage every system. The cost of repairs will increase as will the demand for new sophistication from mechanics. The most advanced designs use only black box modules that cannot be repaired at the local garage but can be replaced with new or rebuild modules. This might be a wonderful solution, but only if you can afford it. "
http://www.nutramed.com/environment/cars.htm
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- 1,035
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- LM7325
I say ban the Volcanoes. Or lets Just go back to horses so we can all die from Tuberculosis when the roads are paved with poop again. Or we can drive electric with reduced range and flexibility with the big nasty power plant safely out of view.
And locking the engine into an unservicable module is a rediculous solution that would cripple the auto repair and aftermarket parts industries, crippling world economies, causing instability. Possibly leading to a major conflict, causing much more pollution...
Just saying.
And locking the engine into an unservicable module is a rediculous solution that would cripple the auto repair and aftermarket parts industries, crippling world economies, causing instability. Possibly leading to a major conflict, causing much more pollution...
Just saying.
- 27,222
- United Kingdom
It's a common misconception that the earth won't recover from what we do. It will, eventually. The much more pressing problem is whether we're making it uninhabitable for ourselves. Nature ultimately doesn't give a crap whether we live or die and some kind of balance will be restored.
Ah, that old chestnut. Debunked, and where electric cars are becoming more popular - California, say, where coal is minimal, renewables are above average and the kind of people who buy them also have PV cells on the roof of their house - it's only getting less accurate over time.
The volcano thing has also been debunked.
I think you're probably overstating things a little here. Not only are engines not becoming unserviceable, but a few local garages going out of business is hardly unlikely to cripple world economies and lead to major conflicts. No more so than any other industry in history that has eventually become redundant.
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- LM7325
The shops themselves I was not concerned with. We used to have "sealed" engines in the late model class we raced in growing up. We figured out real quick how to get around that.
I was talking about the whole of automotive aftermarket suppliers. Companies like Dorman, Cardone, etc...
Not to mention the whole performance aftermarket. Sure we will adjust to the new dreary reality if it comes, cars that have to stay 100% stock sadly.
And I am in the aftermarket industry, bye bye career...
The Volcano was satire, but around here power comes from either coal or nuclear. Methane has made some headway lately around here though.
I was talking about the whole of automotive aftermarket suppliers. Companies like Dorman, Cardone, etc...
Not to mention the whole performance aftermarket. Sure we will adjust to the new dreary reality if it comes, cars that have to stay 100% stock sadly.
And I am in the aftermarket industry, bye bye career...
The Volcano was satire, but around here power comes from either coal or nuclear. Methane has made some headway lately around here though.
- 27,222
- United Kingdom
Nuclear is clean, at least in terms of greenhouse gas and other emissions because there's no burning of anything to generate electricity. Dubious in terms of storing waste obviously, but generally a better option than coal. Regardless, the "electric cars mean power stations" argument is massively overstated - over the lifecycle of a car, EVs are considerably cleaner overall than combustion vehicles.
Point noted on the suppliers, but again, I suspect it'd be unlikely to lead to global economic collapse. For every job lost in say, companies making fuel injectors or spark plugs, another is made in the battery or electronics industry. It's swings and roundabouts.
Point noted on the suppliers, but again, I suspect it'd be unlikely to lead to global economic collapse. For every job lost in say, companies making fuel injectors or spark plugs, another is made in the battery or electronics industry. It's swings and roundabouts.
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