• Pxtl
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    5 months ago

    Want to save the electric car dream? Subsidies aren’t enough. Large EVs are far more expensive than conventional large vehicles, and road-tanks like the F150 represent a threat to the kind of small vehicles that we should be supporting. Subcompacts, e-bikes, and new things filling the space in-between (eg enclosed electric motorbike-class vehicles like the Arcimoto) are an important part of the post-fossil-fuel future, but they’re not safe to take on to a road full of gigantic motor bricks. I drive a Prius Prime and the darn thing’s roof is lower than the hood of some jacked-up pickups.

    I’m not saying that pickups and similar vehicles should be illegal, but we need stronger disincentives for people buying such things. Like rate vehicles based on various objective criteria - bumper-compatibility, mass, front cross-section, front visibility, visual obstruction to other drivers, etc. and then classify the more dangerous ones as “high risk vehicles”, and give those ones stricter licensing requirements (like a class D) and stricter penalties for infractions. Need a pickup for your job? Then you’re a professional, and you can deal with professional vehicle licensing requirements.

    I mean, if you need one to pull a boat? Well, you can afford some extra fees (or fines for infractions), and to go through a stricter licensing process.

    Also, PHEVs are a seriously underrated option. I think we leapfrogged something important with this jump to full BEVs. I love my Prius Prime - I live in Hamilton, which is built as an old-fashioned streetcar-suburb, and daily commute rarely hits the gas-engine.

    • pbjamm@beehaw.org
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      5 months ago

      PHEV is nice (my wife has one) but it adds mechanical complication to the car. I still like it and only rarely need the gas engine except to run the heater or if i drive 100km to the Big City.

      • Pxtl
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        5 months ago

        I agree they’re a trade-off, but they’re a necessary middle-step in the process of getting off of carbon fuels while the battery industry develops enough to fully convert the rest of the auto industry.

        I’d rather see every passenger-vehicle made after 2020 be a PHEV than a handful of guys driving around in Teslas and Lightnings with bloated batteries while 95% of new cars on the road are still gas-burners.