Some people can't afford to own a car. The bottom 20% of Americans, according to Federal Reserve data, have household income of $16,000 or less, and total net w

Some people can't afford to own a car. The bottom 20% of Americans, according to Federal Reserve data, have household income of $16,000 or less, and total net worth of $7,000 or less. Finances get excruciating at that level. So if you're looking to minimize environmental impact, yes, the van puts a little more carbon in the air than having these people stay home all the time. But it makes their quality of life meaningfully better.