4 ms·

EVs do 100% need to get lighter. They are still quite a bit heavier than their ICE equivalents and tyre wear is (IMO) underappreciated as a toxin/pollutant.

jillesvangurp 3y ago
There are quite a few lighter EVs. Including some classic car conversions that actually manage to be faster and lighter than their originals. Those cute little EVs that are mass produced in China are far lighter than the super sized trucks people in the US drive. And of course any muscle car burns out its tires, brakes, and has terrible fuel economy.
- ilyt 3y ago
  Most people buy neither small EVs (they have family) nor musclecars (they, again, have family)
  - littlestymaar 3y ago
    You definitely don't need a 3t truck to carry your family, especially when you know how small modern families are… The average household size in the US is 2.53. And 63% of households are only made of one or two person (that is, the majority actually doesn't “have a family”), which fits in 482 kg Citroën Ami. Also the most common car in Europe (Dacia Sandero), which is a 5-seater only weights 1 036kg. Gigantic American cars are a cultural phenomenon (which is mostly ad-driven by the way), it doesn't relate to an actual need.
    - bumby 3y ago
      I’m not discounting the cultural part because it’s a big factor, but you’re also missing that the US has more stringent safety standards that significantly drive up weight. There’s more reasons that those little Opals and Citroëns aren’t sold in the US beyond cultural norms.
      - littlestymaar 3y ago
        > but you’re also missing that the US has more stringent safety standards that significantly drive up weight. Source for that? From this 2015 study[1], it doesn't seems to be the case at all in practice. (And maybe it the safety regulation has tightened up in the US since 2015, but the car size difference had already existed for at least the past 2 decades at this point). In any case, given the car fatality rate in the US compared to the EU[2], these regulation seem pretty ineffective (no amount of car safety can compensate for the very low driving skill in the US, caused by very lenient driving license requirements compared to European ones). Also, I don't know how US safety rules apply but that would be pretty stupid if cars capped to 50km/h were subject to the same requirements as highway-ready cars. [1]: https://spectrum.ieee.org/us-european-cars-show-safety-differences-in-crashes https://spectrum.ieee.org/us-european-cars-show-safety-diffe... [2]: https://data.oecd.org/transport/road-accidents.htm https://data.oecd.org/transport/road-accidents.htm
        bumby 3y ago
        >Source for that? I used to work in automotive assembly as a robotics engineer. Besides being well-known in the automotive industry, it doesn't take a lot of internet sleuthing to find. "In general, there are two reasons why late-model cars are much heavier than their predecessors: safety and convenience."[1] "The U.S. has a bunch of extra safety standards that the Europeans don't. For instance, in America, car makers have to design airbags to protect people who are not wearing their seatbelt. In Europe, they just assume that everyone's buckled up."[2] I think you're conflating standards and the result of those standards with your links. You can levy a bunch of requirements that drive up weight and also don't have a meaningful impact on safety. We might even agree that they requirements aren't particularly effective, but that doesn't mean the manufacturers can skirt them. Whether or not the standards work, the result is the same: heavier vehicles. >I don't know how US safety rules apply but that would be pretty stupid if cars capped to 50km/h were subject to the same requirements as highway-ready cars. The market for those vehicles in the U.S. is extremely niche, generally relegated to ATVs. So much of the U.S. is connected by highways that there's very few people who a) want/need to own a car and b) also have no need to travel on the highways. People who only want a small urban commuter will often just get a scooter or motorcycle. [1]https://www.jdpower.com/cars/shopping-guides/why-are-modern-cars-so-heavy#:~:text=In%20general%2C%20there%20are%20two,their%20predecessors%3A%20safety%20and%20convenience.&text=By%20law%2C%20modern%20vehicles%20are,%2Dmonitoring%20systems%2C%20etc https://www.jdpower.com/cars/shopping-guides/why-are-modern-....) [2]https://www.npr.org/2015/10/16/449090584/why-arent-auto-safety-standards-universal https://www.npr.org/2015/10/16/449090584/why-arent-auto-safe...
- bumby 3y ago
  >Those cute little EVs that are mass produced in China are far lighter than the super sized trucks people in the US drive. I know there are steep tariffs on Chinese EVs but I’m also wondering if these “cute little EVs” would pass US road safety tests. A disproportionate amount of weight in modern cars is safety equipment.

jillesvangurp 3y ago

There are quite a few lighter EVs. Including some classic car conversions that actually manage to be faster and lighter than their originals. Those cute little EVs that are mass produced in China are far lighter than the super sized trucks people in the US drive. And of course any muscle car burns out its tires, brakes, and has terrible fuel economy.

ilyt 3y ago
Most people buy neither small EVs (they have family) nor musclecars (they, again, have family)
- littlestymaar 3y ago
  You definitely don't need a 3t truck to carry your family, especially when you know how small modern families are… The average household size in the US is 2.53. And 63% of households are only made of one or two person (that is, the majority actually doesn't “have a family”), which fits in 482 kg Citroën Ami. Also the most common car in Europe (Dacia Sandero), which is a 5-seater only weights 1 036kg. Gigantic American cars are a cultural phenomenon (which is mostly ad-driven by the way), it doesn't relate to an actual need.
  - bumby 3y ago
    I’m not discounting the cultural part because it’s a big factor, but you’re also missing that the US has more stringent safety standards that significantly drive up weight. There’s more reasons that those little Opals and Citroëns aren’t sold in the US beyond cultural norms.
    - littlestymaar 3y ago
      > but you’re also missing that the US has more stringent safety standards that significantly drive up weight. Source for that? From this 2015 study[1], it doesn't seems to be the case at all in practice. (And maybe it the safety regulation has tightened up in the US since 2015, but the car size difference had already existed for at least the past 2 decades at this point). In any case, given the car fatality rate in the US compared to the EU[2], these regulation seem pretty ineffective (no amount of car safety can compensate for the very low driving skill in the US, caused by very lenient driving license requirements compared to European ones). Also, I don't know how US safety rules apply but that would be pretty stupid if cars capped to 50km/h were subject to the same requirements as highway-ready cars. [1]: https://spectrum.ieee.org/us-european-cars-show-safety-differences-in-crashes https://spectrum.ieee.org/us-european-cars-show-safety-diffe... [2]: https://data.oecd.org/transport/road-accidents.htm https://data.oecd.org/transport/road-accidents.htm
      - bumby 3y ago
        >Source for that? I used to work in automotive assembly as a robotics engineer. Besides being well-known in the automotive industry, it doesn't take a lot of internet sleuthing to find. "In general, there are two reasons why late-model cars are much heavier than their predecessors: safety and convenience."[1] "The U.S. has a bunch of extra safety standards that the Europeans don't. For instance, in America, car makers have to design airbags to protect people who are not wearing their seatbelt. In Europe, they just assume that everyone's buckled up."[2] I think you're conflating standards and the result of those standards with your links. You can levy a bunch of requirements that drive up weight and also don't have a meaningful impact on safety. We might even agree that they requirements aren't particularly effective, but that doesn't mean the manufacturers can skirt them. Whether or not the standards work, the result is the same: heavier vehicles. >I don't know how US safety rules apply but that would be pretty stupid if cars capped to 50km/h were subject to the same requirements as highway-ready cars. The market for those vehicles in the U.S. is extremely niche, generally relegated to ATVs. So much of the U.S. is connected by highways that there's very few people who a) want/need to own a car and b) also have no need to travel on the highways. People who only want a small urban commuter will often just get a scooter or motorcycle. [1]https://www.jdpower.com/cars/shopping-guides/why-are-modern-cars-so-heavy#:~:text=In%20general%2C%20there%20are%20two,their%20predecessors%3A%20safety%20and%20convenience.&text=By%20law%2C%20modern%20vehicles%20are,%2Dmonitoring%20systems%2C%20etc https://www.jdpower.com/cars/shopping-guides/why-are-modern-....) [2]https://www.npr.org/2015/10/16/449090584/why-arent-auto-safety-standards-universal https://www.npr.org/2015/10/16/449090584/why-arent-auto-safe...
bumby 3y ago
>Those cute little EVs that are mass produced in China are far lighter than the super sized trucks people in the US drive. I know there are steep tariffs on Chinese EVs but I’m also wondering if these “cute little EVs” would pass US road safety tests. A disproportionate amount of weight in modern cars is safety equipment.