13 ms·
How are electric cars prolonging the car centric system? Were we on the verge of overhauling our transportation infrastructure and I just didnt hear about it?
by breakyerself 7y ago
How are electric cars prolonging the car centric system? Were we on the verge of overhauling our transportation infrastructure and I just didnt hear about it?
- Barrin92 7y agoI'm not going to pretend to be optimistic about the capacity for large scale social transformation in particular in the US I'll give you that, but there have been increasing voices for revitalizing rail. I think electric cars will prolong the situation by giving influential people in the managerial and political class, in particular, the illusion that EVs are a big enough step towards changing our lifestyles and that it will induce a sort of "I've done my part" complacency. Basically a Tesla is the car equivalent of a biodegradable Starbucks cup. I've even heard people like Zuckerberg say the 'future' is autonomous vehicles in hyperloops carrying people from or to ever larger suburbs. If that's the future I hope spacex works out so I can be shot to Mars at least
- hyperbovine 7y agoNot social — geographic and historical. With the exception of the Acela corridor, where rail actually thrives, it’s just not viable in America. The distances involved are too vast, and the development took place in a way that is incompatible with rail. Nowhere is this more evident than the farce that is the LA-SF HSR. The situation in Europe is quite different. Cities are much closer together, and they have been building railroads for close to two centuries. European style rail travel will never be viable in the US.