4 ms·

That problem will probably solve itself once gasoline becomes so expensive (because of it becoming a niche product, because of rising taxes, or both) that nobod

• TheLoafOfBread 4y ago
  Why it should, when there will be demand for it? Last time when French were trying to raise taxes on gas, it ended with Yellow vests riots.
  • martin_a 4y ago
    French are always protesting, that's not a really good measurement.
• kybernetyk 4y ago
  When fuel becomes this expensive food will become unattainable for most people. Or we somehow miraculously create magic batteries to power commercial transport. The problem with cities will solve itself: no one is going to live in a concrete desert where simple food is too expensive.
  • GaryNumanVevo 4y ago
    Actually it'll most likely be the opposite, larger cities are typically surrounded by arable land with good proximity to rail. Shipping food by rail would become more common, with distribution by semi / box truck to the suburbs or rural area to be very very expensive. California will probably be the best off, in terms of a basically year round growing season and a massive amount of land close to large population centers.
    • nradov 4y ago
      Rail is already heavily used for transporting bulk grains, livestock, and canned/packaged/frozen food. But it's simply too slow on most routes for fresh, perishable food. Trucks will continue to be heavily used. In the US at least we have plenty of natural gas and I expect the fleet to gradually migrate to that fuel. Delivery trucks are already shifting to battery electric.
      • GaryNumanVevo 4y ago
        Ah yeah LP (natural gas) is a great alternative, IIRC India has a bunch of LNP vehicles already. I'm not sure battery trucks are great for long haul trucking, but they've proved useful for last mile stuff already.
• ovi256 4y ago
  Why do you think this idea of starving demand through high prices for something people want is good ? Why do you limit it only to transportation ? Would you care to apply it to all consumer needs, housing, education, child care, health care, food, staples ? If no, why is transportation different ?
  • beachy 4y ago
    Why? Because fossil fuels are killing the planet and increasing their price will lead people to use less or find alternatives. It's simple economics, not rocket science.
    • Spivak 4y ago
      Then just ban it. Sin taxes are dumb, regressive, and the cost is paid by people who have no control over their situation. Someone who lives in a suburb and commutes to work in the city because that's where affordable housing is just loses money for no gain. If the person affected by the tax doesn't have an actionable alternative to avoid it and the plan is "vaguely make people worse off so that <random corporation> will make an alternative happen" then you have a bad candidate for a tax and you should do what places are actually doing which is "banhammer for new ICE cars incoming in 20xx, figure it out car manufacturers."
• PeterisP 4y ago
  Why would gasoline become more expensive, if we expect a big part of the demand to go away by regulatory-forced migration to electric vehicles?
  • jabl 4y ago
    A much smaller market would have to pay for the fixed costs of the oil industry? Gas stations close because a few Porsches, Ferraris and classic cars isn't enough to keep them afloat? Then OTOH, due to refineries working the way they do, if private cars are replaced by EV's, but long range trucking, marine shipping and aviation remain, refineries will have a huge problem what to do with the gasoline fractions.
  • johannes1234321 4y ago
    Distribution is expensive. The dense network of fuel stations works due to the high demand. In addition there is a quite high price sensitivity: If fuel is a little bit cheaper customers are willing to take the small detour. With less demand there are less stations, less competition and still a expensive logistics network.