Could high gas prices have a silver lining?

[pecksniff]

Maybe people will now start to think about solutions to the real problem -- which is not dependency on gasoline, but dependency on automobiles. Ever since WWII we've been building everything in the country around the automobile, around the assumption that everybody will have one. This presents a lot of quality-of-life problems which replacing gas-powered cars with electric won't solve. We need compact, high-density, mixed-use walkable communities and mass transit instead.

 

[Rightguide]

^^^
What a mentally disturbed nut.

 

[ll74]

People who have electric vehicles aren't paying higher gas prices.

 

[pecksniff]

^^^
What a mentally disturbed nut.

What exactly are your objections?

 

[pecksniff]

People who have electric vehicles aren't paying higher gas prices.

No, but they are living in places where you can't live without a car. That is what sucks.

 

[pecksniff]

There are solutions, and a lot of people have been thinking about them for decades now. See transit-oriented development and new urbanism.

 

[ll74]

No, but they are living in places where you can't live without a car. That is what sucks.

There are communities being built around here that are somewhat self contained so you don't need one

 

[phrodeau]

Anybody remember this ad campaign?

This is about proper tire inflation, but there were others like carpooling, lightening the load, and keeping windows up.

 

[Dribble]

Absolutely it has positives.

 

[pecksniff]

There are communities being built around here that are somewhat self contained so you don't need one

There are, here and there, but their number is negligible compared to the sprawling auto-dependent suburban pods.

 

[Rightguide]

People who have electric vehicles aren't paying higher gas prices.

They are paying twice as much for the car in the first place and in states like CA they'll be paying out the nose for their diminishing electrical supply as the number of electric car owners increases against that limited supply. At present electric cars are but a tiny minority of the automobile population. It will take decades to create the electrical infrastructure needed to convert all of society to that mode of travel. In the present economic environment of runaway inflation, it is impossible.

 

[ll74]

They are paying twice as much for the car in the first place and in states like CA they'll be paying out the nose for their diminishing electrical supply as the number of electric car owners increases against that limited supply. At present electric cars are but a tiny minority of the automobile population. It will take decades to create the electrical infrastructure needed to convert all of society to that mode of travel. In the present economic environment of runaway inflation, it is impossible.

It won't take that long..that's a pessimistic exaggeration. The additional price is absorbed by subsidies as well as the lack of gas $$ fairly quickly after purchase.

 

[Vetteman]

What exactly are your objections?

Americans can’t be expected to walk. We bought fancy cars like Corvettes so we can show them off.

It also wouldn’t be safe to be on your phone texting while you walk. Someone could trip and get seriously hurt.

 

[Sean Renaud]

They are paying twice as much for the car in the first place and in states like CA they'll be paying out the nose for their diminishing electrical supply as the number of electric car owners increases against that limited supply. At present electric cars are but a tiny minority of the automobile population. It will take decades to create the electrical infrastructure needed to convert all of society to that mode of travel. In the present economic environment of runaway inflation, it is impossible.

These are all things we have a government for. What diminishing electrical supply? We are over half green energy and when the drought ends and hopefully Newsom or whoever comes next snags some federal money for more infrastructure we'll be golden.

 

[pecksniff]

Shifting to electric cars will help with air-pollution problems including global warming, but that's not what this thread is about. And, of course, it does nothing to solve energy problems -- the cars still need to be charged from some kind of power plant.

 

[Biggs_Darklighter]

Shifting to electric cars will help with air-pollution problems including global warming, but that's not what this thread is about. And, of course, it does nothing to solve energy problems -- the cars still need to be charged from some kind of power plant.

Vibranium

 

[pecksniff]

Vibranium

So we need to invade Wakanda?

 

[Biggs_Darklighter]

So we need to invade Wakanda?

Absolutely

 

[pecksniff]

Absolutely

Funny thing about Wakanda -- it's supposed to be the most scientifically advanced, high-tech country in the world -- but it's so primitive politically that the throne can be won in a duel.

 

[phrodeau]

Americans can’t be expected to walk. We bought fancy cars like Corvettes so we can show them off.

It also wouldn’t be safe to be on your phone texting while you walk. Someone could trip and get seriously hurt.

They wouldn’t be seriously hurt, they’d be hilariously hurt.

 

[Biggs_Darklighter]

Funny thing about Wakanda -- it's supposed to be the most scientifically advanced, high-tech country in the world -- but it's so primitive politically that the throne can be won in a duel.

I'm in training as we speak. Wakanda forever!

 

[oggbashan]

The genie has been out of the bottle for decades.

Americans will not give up personal transport. They can't. They don't have an extensive public transport system, nor would it be possible in large areas of the US. It works in the UK and Japan - highly populated counties with short distances between major conurbations. It cannot be cost-effective in the US.

Electric vehicles will be the way to go but the US has to invest in more power generation and the supply grid to meet the demand.

 

[Rightguide]

It won't take that long..that's a pessimistic exaggeration. The additional price is absorbed by subsidies as well as the lack of gas $$ fairly quickly after purchase.

BS

 

[Rightguide]

These are all things we have a government for. What diminishing electrical supply? We are over half green energy and when the drought ends and hopefully Newsom or whoever comes next snags some federal money for more infrastructure we'll be golden.

Government doesn't do these kinds of things the market does.

 

[pecksniff]

Government doesn't do these kinds of things the market does.

Not by itself. Only government is psychologically capable of planning for beyond the next quarter's statement, or of considering things not reflected in it.