General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsSources of Greenhouse emissions in the US
Why we really need to change the transportation sector. And the other major pair.
Changing your lights to LED will help your own bills but won't do much compared to getting people to change their
driving habits and vehicle choices.
Yes I know that every reduction helps.
https://www.epa.gov/greenvehicles/fast-facts-transportation-greenhouse-gas-emissions
roamer65
(36,739 posts)I love that damn car.
I use E50 and E85 in the Equinox, E10 is only a top off fuel for it.
DBoon
(22,288 posts)They now cover the price ranges of most internal combustion engine cars.
We need more charging stations
Amishman
(5,541 posts)Many Americans never buy new.
Most of my family buy ~5 year old vehicles and drive them for a decade before replacing them. The average vehicle age is now 12.2 years old, and rising.
Victor_c3
(3,557 posts)Give it a couple of years, and the availability of reasonably affordable electric cars will increase.
Also, its worth noting that the average price of a new car in the US was nearly $47,100 in January of this year. In 2016, the average price of a new car was roughly $32,000.
Its totally mind boggling to me that the average American could pay so much for a new car.
jimfields33
(15,475 posts)Thats frightening.
jimfields33
(15,475 posts)Amishman
(5,541 posts)New cars are quite expensive and most electrics are much newer than the typical vehicle - making them unaffordable to most people.
My other concern is maintenance and repair. Most automotive garages are not equipped or trained to work on electric vehicles. As they grow in number and age, the need for repairs will grow
hunter
(38,264 posts)... or at the very least make daily driving unnecessary.
By some planning and greater good fortune my wife and I have managed to avoid the automobile commuter lifestyle for most of our adult lives. But we don't live in a place where car ownership is unnecessary. I'd be risking life and limb if I tried to ride a cargo bike to the big box stores. And frankly, I need to own a car to be accepted as a fully functional adult in our society.
With the human population at 8 billion this planet simply can't support an automobile for every adult, especially automobiles that are driven every day. It's not just the cars, it's the infrastructure required to support them.
In the short term I think plug-in hybrids are more important than purely electric vehicles. For every pure electric vehicle that goes 300+ miles on a charge we could build ten hybrids that go 30+ miles on a charge and most of those hybrid vehicles would be running exclusively on electricity most days, with no "range anxiety" for people making occasional longer trips.
In the later 'seventies and 'eighties I was a radical anti-nuclear activist but I've changed my mind about that.
Old Crank
(3,379 posts)As you stated is having cities in which you don't have to drive to get your needs. Cities need to be reconfigured to allow greater means to get around. That means places for pedestrians, cyclists, transit. It means smaller scale stores closer to where people live. It means changing zoning regs that demand 50-60 thousand to be spent on car parking for every housing unit. People need to be able to get everything in a 15 minute walk or bike ride.
phylny
(8,353 posts)Toyota Highlander Hybrid. I tried to find a used one and IF I was able to locate one, it was more expensive than a new one. I ordered it in February and will be lucky to get it by the end of August. We are fortunate to be able to buy it and itll be the first new car weve bought since 2005 (we both bought used, me in 2014 and my husband in 2015 or 2016).
My husband worked for an oil company for 38 years and as a retiree he still gets (as do I) something like 8% off each gallon of branded gas, but even so, his next car will also be a hybrid.
One of our sons-in-law has a Prius Prime, which is gas plus electric plug-in. Im sure thatll be the wave of the future.