this post was submitted on 16 Oct 2023
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The increasing popularity of ultra-heavy SUVs in England means a conventional-engined car bought in 2013 will, on average, have lower carbon emissions than one bought new today, new research has found.

The study by the climate campaign group Possible said there was a strong correlation between income and owning a large SUV, which meant there was a sound argument for “polluter pays” taxes for vehicle emissions based on size.

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[–] [email protected] 59 points 11 months ago (3 children)

Emissions aside, those big SUVs are so ugly and unnecessary for your average driver.

[–] [email protected] 29 points 11 months ago (1 children)

It's also such a race to outsize other vehicles.

I know SUV drivers who bought an SUV because "everyone owns an SUV, and if you're driving around in a smaller car, you can't see anything around you any more." They're not even wrong, in some communities it's getting really hard to participate in traffic of you're constantly surrounded by much larger, taller cars on all sides.

But of course, they're now just perpetuating the problem.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 11 months ago

One thing I noticed the other day while going through a new drive through is that the increase in vehicle size is noticable there. I drive a sedan, and most of the drive through windows near me are level with my car's window, but the one that I went through the other day was built in the last year or so, and the window was significantly higher up than my car's.

[–] [email protected] 18 points 11 months ago (2 children)

Not to mention that they require no additional driver training.
You can pass your test in a Ford Ka, then hop in a 2 tonne range rover the next day.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 11 months ago (1 children)

I've never even considered that, but it is wild. Like those grandmothers who have spent 60 years driving tiny little cars and then one day their family gets them a fucking tank to drive around in and they suddenly start putting everyone's lives at risk because they have zero experience behind the wheel of a vehicle that's at least double the size of what they drove their entire life beforehand.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Good point. Let's make every new passer drive an old banger for a year - I'm absolutely fed up of monkey-lipped young girls forcing me to my side of the road because they can't fucking negotiate the width of their fucking tractors!

Sorry for the rant, but I drive a classic - and it fucking riles me - every day ! I used to enjoy driving - now it's a daily nightmare.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 11 months ago (1 children)

What does monkey-lipped mean, I've literally never heard that phrase?

[–] [email protected] 3 points 11 months ago (1 children)

I'm just having a pick at the fashion of overly botoxed lips.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (1 children)

What you're describing is actually collagen filler, not botox. If you botoxed your lips you'd end up with a serious speech impediment for a few months. Back in the day we used to call it the "Leslie Ash special", after a celeb who had a particularly disasterous one done.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 11 months ago

Never heard of that special. Thanks for the correction though.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 11 months ago (1 children)

@GreatAlbatross @DeathWearsANecktie to be fair you cannot drive on a motorway until you pass and then once you pass you can go straight onto it unattended.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 11 months ago (1 children)

You can use the motorway with a an accredited driving instructor before you pass.

The motorway can be an odd one too: The speeds are higher, but they can be one of the safest ways to drive.

Afaik, the reason motorways don't feature on the test, is that some test centres are 50 miles or more away from one

[–] [email protected] 2 points 10 months ago

@GreatAlbatross Apparently you can in England, whoops

[–] [email protected] 13 points 11 months ago (2 children)

And because they’re heavier, there’ll be more wear and tear on the roads too.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Oh man this one is so big for maintenance costs, the damage is exponential! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fourth_power_law

[–] [email protected] 2 points 11 months ago

Which mostly means it doesn't matter. Car vs electric truck is basically a rounding error compared to either a lorry or the regular freeze-thaw cycle.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 11 months ago (2 children)

What do u think a electric car eith its huge batteries would do ?

Telsa model 3 is 3000 pounds

Chevy equinox is 3300

Chevy traverse is 4300

Tesla model Y 4400

Tesla model x 5200

Chevy suburban is 5700

[–] [email protected] 2 points 11 months ago (1 children)

And the Rivian R1T is 6949 pounds.

But there is the dacia spring with 2304 pound.

EV does not automatically have to result in huge heavy cars.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Top speed of 125kph, 0-100kph in 19 seconds... Sure, city cars don't need to be as heavy but then why need a car at all?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 11 months ago (1 children)

"Everyone in the city needs their own car" was not the argument I made, just as your comment did not mean to say that everyone who does not live in the city needs a 3.5 ton truck.

[–] [email protected] -1 points 11 months ago (1 children)

They don't, but an EV that's usable in the highway weights as much as a truck. If you want to compare the Spring to other types of vehicles you need to compare its weight to cars in the same category and then you realise that it's heavier than the equivalent gas car...

[–] [email protected] 1 points 11 months ago (1 children)

I have seen Spring and Renault Zoe on highways, in Germany none the less. If your argument is you need big fast cars for highways I don't see it that way.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (1 children)

Sure, I've seen a 2CV on the highway, it's not what it's meant for and it's not safe for the person driving it. The Spring at 110kph has a range of 145km in good weather...

And again, you're not comparing the car to an equivalent gas model, you're just trying to prove that EV cars can be light by using the smallest model you can find and in this case, as I already mentioned, the equivalent gas car is still lighter so the EV still wear the roads more than the gas equivalent, which was the original point.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Because I don't want the equivalent models. Never wanted them. They are absurd.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

Then I don't know why you felt the need to add your opinion to the discussion because if the gas equivalent is absurd then so is the EV version.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 11 months ago (1 children)

It’s a good point about the weight of EVs. I suppose it’s a question of whether the benefit of EVs are worth the extra wear on the roads.

When comparing ICE cars though, it’s a pretty clear cut argument that SUVs are worse for everyone except the occupants.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 11 months ago

Suv's are not always worse.

Equinox 26/31 Corvette is 16/25.

Equinox can fit five adults plus room for luggage or other items in jt.

He'll the Chevy malibu is 27/35 amd is a Sedan. I rather the equinox