5 ms·

No reason, other than, you know, making manufacturing much more expensive. If a car company knows it can sell 1 million cars a year, it needs to be able to man

by xyzzyz 6y ago

No reason, other than, you know, making manufacturing much more expensive. If a car company knows it can sell 1 million cars a year, it needs to be able to manufacture 1 million cars a year. If they operate their plant 24/7, their plants need to have enough throughout to build 2 cars a minute. However, if they plan to only operate during sunny days, their plants will only operate probably a third of the time, so they need to build three times as many factories, buy three times as many machines, build three times the number of manufacturing lines, and hire more employees.

perfunctory 6y ago
Or produce one third of the cars. I don't think there is a shortage of cars in the world.
- xyzzyz 6y ago
  This is not possible in market capitalism. Companies will produce as many cars as people will buy. Even if one company decides to restrict its production, another will fill its place. You need central planning to decide how many cars are to be built, and to be sure, if you look at the centrally planned economies of communist countries, they definitely did produce less than third the number of cars their citizens enjoy now.
  - perfunctory 6y ago
    > You need central planning to decide how many cars are to be built Isn't it what every non-banana-republic is doing already, indirectly [0]. And if we get serious about achieving net-zero economy and price carbon accordingly the car makers will have to adjust even further. They could plant trillions of trees, or they could make fewer cars. Up to them. I am just saying that in my view making fewer cars will be a more viable economic decision. And consumers will redirect their purchasing power to something else. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vehicle_emission_standard https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vehicle_emission_standard
    - xyzzyz 6y ago
      > Isn't it what every non-banana-republic is doing already, indirectly Emission standards do reduce number of cars produced, to be sure, but much less than you propose. Mostly what they do is make the cars kinda suck, especially compared to how expensive they are. People buy cars anyway, and put up with it.

by xyzzyz 6y ago

perfunctory 6y ago

Or produce one third of the cars. I don't think there is a shortage of cars in the world.

xyzzyz 6y ago
This is not possible in market capitalism. Companies will produce as many cars as people will buy. Even if one company decides to restrict its production, another will fill its place. You need central planning to decide how many cars are to be built, and to be sure, if you look at the centrally planned economies of communist countries, they definitely did produce less than third the number of cars their citizens enjoy now.
- perfunctory 6y ago
  > You need central planning to decide how many cars are to be built Isn't it what every non-banana-republic is doing already, indirectly [0]. And if we get serious about achieving net-zero economy and price carbon accordingly the car makers will have to adjust even further. They could plant trillions of trees, or they could make fewer cars. Up to them. I am just saying that in my view making fewer cars will be a more viable economic decision. And consumers will redirect their purchasing power to something else. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vehicle_emission_standard https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vehicle_emission_standard
  - xyzzyz 6y ago
    > Isn't it what every non-banana-republic is doing already, indirectly Emission standards do reduce number of cars produced, to be sure, but much less than you propose. Mostly what they do is make the cars kinda suck, especially compared to how expensive they are. People buy cars anyway, and put up with it.