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They also reduce noise pollution
And reduce the propping of petrostates
And can be fueled, in theory, almost anywhere there are buildings (including your own home/work)
And that fuel can also, in theory, come from fully sustainable sources
They also help normalise the usage of renewable energy (this is a factor that shouldn't be overlooked, imo)
They also do all those things much worse than transitioning away from car dependence.
And they give people an excuse to not move away from cars.
And they are so much heavier and deadlier than ICE cars at the same speed that they may actually actively discourage other modes, like walking or cycling.
edit: Look, I think every car should be an EV. And I also think there shouldn't be many cars because cars still suck. Both can be true.
Since much of the noise pollution from cars comes from tire noise, I doubt EVs will reduce noise pollution that signifcantly.
It's not tire noise I'm hearing in bed at 1am while some yahoo is treating residential roads like a racetrack.
Near motorways where they go high speed the reduction will be negligible, but is material around lower speed streets.
Something not mentioned is the significantly reduced brake dust as most EV braking is regenerative.
Ugh guys come on, don’t let perfect be the enemy of good (or better). We cannot snap our fingers and fix everything. Incremental steps are necessary.
Local commuter rail, walkable cities, and nationwide high speed rail are all necessary to completely eliminate 90% of individual car ownership. We should be advocating for these systems of convenience which will make car ownership obsolete while incentivizing EVs while the infrastructure is built up, not demonizing EVs and making them appear as useless and a waste of time for helping fight climate change. Plus we need EV utility vehicles and trucks for professionals who need them to do their job.
Incremental steps are not personal EVs. They are diesel and electric buses. EVs eliminate 1 problem (tailpipe emissions) while creating 2 more (battery manufacturing, increased vehicle weight making road and tire wear worse, and making them more deadly - there's others, take your pick) and not addressing the other hundred problems with car dependence.
Buses use the same infrastructure as cars. Bus stops are stupid cheap in comparison to anything else. And then, bus lanes can be implemented to prioritise buses and keep them from getting stuck in traffic.
The number one (by a long way) selling vehicle in the US is a massively over sized truck. Designed to be so heavy to avoid falling under emissions laws.
There is no electric vehicle that comes even close to that. You want those people interested in electric cars. They don't give a single fuck about what your think about buses and nothing you will ever do in your lifetime will change that. Ever.
Getting people into EVs is an across the board incremental improvement in the exact definition of the word.
You're right about the massive benefits of transit and trains in particular would be so amazing.. but none of the people we want getting out of F150s give a single shit.
This is pure oil company propaganda. I hate cars with a passion and want a car free society. We will get there but it will take time. But We need to get rid of gas NOW.
Anyone who spews this kind of filth is literally the enemy.
I really do not think so. Oil propaganda would support cars rather than be against it. I'm quite sure this is directed at the people who think EVs are a full solution.
This comic ISN'T anti-car, it's anti-electric car.
Absolutely oil propaganda.
I already discussed this exact thing once before on Lemmy, I'll link to my old comment chain https://lemmy.blahaj.zone/comment/3441189
And some other of the artist's comics https://twitter.com/GregVann/status/1085788036573540354
But in short, no, in context this artist is anti-car.
Why, then, does the picture with all the problems depict a gas car, and why is "tailpipe emissions" listed as one of the problems?
Also, usually corporate propaganda is done by less well-established cartoonists that don't have reputations to ruin.
It's criticising cars in general, one if it's arguments is that EV's don't solve some lf the main problems of cars (which gas cars also have)
Climate change is a big enough problem that it is worth prioritizing.
I see them as "diet" cars. Similar to if someone is trying to cut back on sodas, switching to diet sodas is a net benefit. That's not to say diet sodas are good for you or remotely healthy, they're just less bad than the alternative.
Can I just have good public transit, or safe bike lanes, I don't even want a car.
EVs also greatly reduce brake dust, as most use regenerative braking under normal circumstances, leaving traditional braking for hard (emergency) braking.
I'm not unsympathetic to the fuckcars movement, but I have to ask about the road salt. When it snows and the roads are icy, what's supposed to happen? What's the plan for getting around, for getting to work, for getting to school? We can be using beet juice and other less impactful de-icing brines, but you still need the cars to get people where they need to go. Is the argument that people should stay home? Are we suggesting that colder climates just shouldn't be populated? Busses need the road salt, too. Trains and trolleys de-ice their tracks. Even urban areas where you can walk everywhere need to salt the sidewalks.
Where I live it's common to spread gravel on the snow to increase grip. And then, of course, it is expected that everyone has the appropriate shoes and bike tires to not slip.
And even when salt is used, cars need a lot more salt per person than other modes of transport does.
edit: clarification
Trams, trains, bikes. The Holy Trinity of sustainable transport that must be pursued instead of EVs for an actually livable planet.
Death to the car. Death to America.
As much as I agree, these are different things. EVs are fixing greenhouse gases. While the others are also bad things, they aren't really global climate changers.
Except EVs still have a significant carbon footprint from their manufacture. So do train cars and buses, but to transport everyone in cars instead of public transportation would require orders of magnitude more materials, and therefore a much higher carbon footprint. Not to mention the poor land use that car dependency causes, which both leads to deforestation and impedes reforestation, which is a further climate change contributor.
I live in a city with about 2 million people. It has major sprawl and lots of guys with big trucks to compensate for little personality. The city has a brown haze floating over it that is a result of tailpipe emissions.
EVs may not be the solution to climate change, but they are helping my local area with air pollution. Well... they would if they were more popular. Every time a local buys an EV, ten more prosthetic penises are sold.
EVs may even lead to increased tire debris.
But less brake pad wear. The regenerative braking reduces a lot of the need for brake pads.
I just wanna say I appreciate people here making intelligent, good faith arguments on both sides without resorting to black or white thinking or getting too aggressive/ abusive.
I love the childish smug energy of this comic which simultaneously suggests merely mitigating a serious problem is inadequate and also provides no proposed solution whatsoever. If solutions which have compromise because they are rooted in reality are a problem, I suggest finding a way to live in a world of fantasy.
I’m tired of people looking at me crazy because I keep suggesting we need better public transportation rather than fucking electric cars. We are 100% going to replace every car in America with an E.V before we ever expand access to public transportation. And we will do this because the car manufacturers stock prices will go up if we do.
EVs also help with the brake disc "dust" since a lot of the braking is "regenerative breaking" done by the electric motor and does not use the brake pads at all. They require less maintenance, and have fewer parts in them, so fewer manufacturing materials. With very few exceptions, they are also smaller vehicles with more safety features which should result in fewer pedestrian casualties.
Obviously having no vehicles at all would be even better at solving these issues, but that's not practical for our current reality. Maybe in 100 years.
I will say that "autopilot" features should absolutely be outlawed and cause nothing but trouble to everyone.
I bet there are statistics on just how much space is wasted on cars (roads, parking space) but I don't have them handy. It will probaly pretty maddening when only considering "urban" areas but I wonder if it's more or less of 1% of the world's total landmass ...