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Some people value reduced impact on our ailing environment over immediate convenience.

sigzero 9y ago
That doesn't matter if you CAN'T buy it in the first place.
EADGBE 9y ago
How about both? I'm waiting for an electric truck. I'll have my cake and eat it, too. For some folks - a surprising amount in the United States - the practicality, livelihood, and sometimes necessity of a truck outshines its inefficiencies.
- radiorental 9y ago
  Some folks, yes. This is true around the world. Unfortunately, for too many folks... pickups are a lifestyle vehicle. Like Jeeps that never go off road or bright yellow humvee's.
  - deleted 9y ago
    [deleted]
- otterley 9y ago
  I'm not convinced this is entirely true. The majority of people need a truck a few times a year at most. For them, rental is a practical option. The rest of the year, an ordinary sedan or hatchback will suit their needs just fine. If this were not so, people in other first-would countries would also buy trucks as their primary vehicles, and we know that's not the case. (It helps that fuel taxes elsewhere are more realistic -- i.e. higher -- in terms of being able to pay for the infrastructure and other externalities.) The reason people buy trucks in the U.S. is largely (a) cultural and (b) because they can afford them, both in terms of payments and fuel taxes.
  - jsjohnst 9y ago
    While there’s definitely some truth to your point, I also know the vast majority of folks who own a truck that I know use it to pull a trailer regularly (as in multiple times a month). Renting would be an unrealistic hassle for them.
    - otterley 9y ago
      You can pull trailers with cars, provided they have enough torque. When I was a kid, my dad pulled our pop-up trailer with a 1974 Pontiac Ventura (GM 5.7L V8 engine). Just last month I regularly saw relatively large trailers being pulled by relatively small cars when I was in the UK.
      - jsjohnst 9y ago
        I didn’t say that it wasn’t possible, for some trailers. Fifth wheels by the nature of their design will not be pulled with a car. Even something as “simple” as my dad’s ski boat wasn’t possible to be pulled behind anything but a decently beefy truck (dry weight was ~6k lbs). Where and when I grew up, setups like this[0] were very commonly seen on the road all the time, so maybe my experience is a little different than some of you. [0] http://forums.wakeboarder.com/files/s_rig.jpg http://forums.wakeboarder.com/files/s_rig.jpg
      - EADGBE 9y ago
        > 1974 Pontiac Ventura (GM 5.7L V8 engine) FWIW, that's considered a truck engine, now. Purely from displacement.
        jsjohnst 9y ago
        It was back then too! :)
        EADGBE 9y ago
        60's/70's cars now vs then are a totally different automobile.
inferiorhuman 9y ago
Some people also having a car that can be parked in many places easily. Especially in cities, you're going to have a hell of a time parking a big truck.
- bluedino 9y ago
  No problem parking my F150 in Chicago.
  - deleted 9y ago
    [deleted]
  - drzaiusapelord 9y ago
    Chicago is 230+ sq miles, its a huge city. Parking on, say, far south side or NW side is very different than parking in hot neighborhoods or downtown. Unless you're paying for a space you're going to have issues with street parking in many areas. A 210-250" car will absolutely present challenges street parking in many neighborhoods. My 170" car does sometimes due to average street space size. I can't imagine adding another few feet to my car and being happy with street parking experiences.
acallahan 9y ago
To make that more concrete, there are environmental externalities that no one is paying on gas, but whose cost is real. The first recent source I found on google [1] pegs the externalities at $3.80 per gallon of gas, which would more than double the cost of gas (in the US) if factored in. More directly, if you drive your vehicle 100k miles at 20 MPG, that's $20,000 in environmental harm you're creating and passing on to be someone else's problem. To me, that makes electric cars (and other alternatives) seem more attractive. [1] https://www.forbes.com/sites/tomzeller/2015/03/05/study-youre-really-paying-more-than-6-per-gallon-for-that-gas/#6f5fe3da17c4 https://www.forbes.com/sites/tomzeller/2015/03/05/study-your...

That doesn't matter if you CAN'T buy it in the first place.

How about both? I'm waiting for an electric truck. I'll have my cake and eat it, too. For some folks - a surprising amount in the United States - the practicality, livelihood, and sometimes necessity of a truck outshines its inefficiencies.

radiorental 9y ago
Some folks, yes. This is true around the world. Unfortunately, for too many folks... pickups are a lifestyle vehicle. Like Jeeps that never go off road or bright yellow humvee's.
- deleted 9y ago
  [deleted]
otterley 9y ago
I'm not convinced this is entirely true. The majority of people need a truck a few times a year at most. For them, rental is a practical option. The rest of the year, an ordinary sedan or hatchback will suit their needs just fine. If this were not so, people in other first-would countries would also buy trucks as their primary vehicles, and we know that's not the case. (It helps that fuel taxes elsewhere are more realistic -- i.e. higher -- in terms of being able to pay for the infrastructure and other externalities.) The reason people buy trucks in the U.S. is largely (a) cultural and (b) because they can afford them, both in terms of payments and fuel taxes.
- jsjohnst 9y ago
  While there’s definitely some truth to your point, I also know the vast majority of folks who own a truck that I know use it to pull a trailer regularly (as in multiple times a month). Renting would be an unrealistic hassle for them.
  - otterley 9y ago
    You can pull trailers with cars, provided they have enough torque. When I was a kid, my dad pulled our pop-up trailer with a 1974 Pontiac Ventura (GM 5.7L V8 engine). Just last month I regularly saw relatively large trailers being pulled by relatively small cars when I was in the UK.
    - jsjohnst 9y ago
      I didn’t say that it wasn’t possible, for some trailers. Fifth wheels by the nature of their design will not be pulled with a car. Even something as “simple” as my dad’s ski boat wasn’t possible to be pulled behind anything but a decently beefy truck (dry weight was ~6k lbs). Where and when I grew up, setups like this[0] were very commonly seen on the road all the time, so maybe my experience is a little different than some of you. [0] http://forums.wakeboarder.com/files/s_rig.jpg http://forums.wakeboarder.com/files/s_rig.jpg
    - EADGBE 9y ago
      > 1974 Pontiac Ventura (GM 5.7L V8 engine) FWIW, that's considered a truck engine, now. Purely from displacement.
      - jsjohnst 9y ago
        It was back then too! :)
        EADGBE 9y ago
        60's/70's cars now vs then are a totally different automobile.

inferiorhuman 9y ago

Some people also having a car that can be parked in many places easily. Especially in cities, you're going to have a hell of a time parking a big truck.

bluedino 9y ago
No problem parking my F150 in Chicago.
- deleted 9y ago
  [deleted]
- drzaiusapelord 9y ago
  Chicago is 230+ sq miles, its a huge city. Parking on, say, far south side or NW side is very different than parking in hot neighborhoods or downtown. Unless you're paying for a space you're going to have issues with street parking in many areas. A 210-250" car will absolutely present challenges street parking in many neighborhoods. My 170" car does sometimes due to average street space size. I can't imagine adding another few feet to my car and being happy with street parking experiences.

acallahan 9y ago

To make that more concrete, there are environmental externalities that no one is paying on gas, but whose cost is real. The first recent source I found on google [1] pegs the externalities at $3.80 per gallon of gas, which would more than double the cost of gas (in the US) if factored in. More directly, if you drive your vehicle 100k miles at 20 MPG, that's $20,000 in environmental harm you're creating and passing on to be someone else's problem. To me, that makes electric cars (and other alternatives) seem more attractive. [1] https://www.forbes.com/sites/tomzeller/2015/03/05/study-youre-really-paying-more-than-6-per-gallon-for-that-gas/#6f5fe3da17c4 https://www.forbes.com/sites/tomzeller/2015/03/05/study-your...