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| Gas prices are up.....again. (Image courtesy of Bicycle Retailer and Industry News) |
But the revealing thing to me was that immediately upon ditching the car commute I went from once a week gas fills to once a month. And now I might fill up every 1.5-2 months. How did I do that? Well, first off, we use one vehicle for the most part. I would say we have 1.5 cars in terms of usage. And additionally I started riding errands, especially short trips. By the way, if I don't ride the bike I walk.
So, taking down my gasoline usage has been an ongoing thing for me for nearly 20 years now. I've seen efforts to call for gasoline use reduction and for more bicycle usage off and on throughout the years. Now with rising gas prices again we're hearing those calls again. But I think we will see gas prices go back down and all those calls for 'more bicycle usage' will go away. Again.....
That's because we are, as a culture, set up primarily for car usage. It was a big mistake for us to get where we are at. It is going to take a really long time to turn that ship around. But the first thing we need to do, as a culture, is decide that more cars, more roads, and more facilities for that is a bad idea. We also are not going to be 'saved' by electric cars and trucks. That's a great example of the wool getting pulled over the consumer's eyes, without a doubt.
The 'answer' is less cars. More bicycles will follow.
12 comments:
When we all have electric cars what's going to happen when we all get home in the evening and plug our cars in at the same time? Will our already shaky electrical grid be able to handle it? I have my doubts. Don't misunderstand I'm all for electrical vehicles but you are absolutely correct in saying they aren't going to save us.
Phillip, I don't think we will all suddenly have electric cars. It's going to be a decades-long process that hopefully gives our utilities at least some opportunities to keep pace. Surely there will be shortcomings but I think some modicum of keeping up will occur.
But I would still like to just see way fewer cars rather than full electrification of the automotive space.
I agree with the premise of more bikes, less cars. We do as much as we feel safe doing on a bike, but I think it's a mistake to present that as the only solution. There are a lot of folks in rural areas who simply are not going to bike to the stores (or at all), even if we vastly improve the cycling infrastructure. Electric cars are without a doubt better for greenhouse gases and oil dependency, and frankly, they're just better cars. As solar gets cheaper our grid-based electricity will get greener.
@Phillip, the grid will simply have to improve. Imagine how convoluted our gasoline distribution system is and how much simpler electric distribution will be. The lines are already run, and it's not a stretch to imagine at-work charging to get it done during the day when solar is generating.
G-Ted, Howdy;
Living in New Mexico, is an awkward thing. You either live in Albuquerque, Santa Fe,
or you don't count. Most of NM is rual, meaning skinny roads and long distances to run
errands. For me 20 miles one-way to either Hatch or T or C. Summer temps. hit triple
digets in May and last through Monsoon Season into late Sept.
They were going to close the last coal fired electricity plant in June of this year.
Until, ... they realized that the Green replacement wasn't capable to provide the power
required to keep all the swamp coolers and air conditioners running without rolling
blackouts.
Couple that with the Biden edict that shut down oil and gas production in the Permian
Basin that had us as the top producer of Gas & oil in the World until Mid Jan. 2021.
I could go on. but, Not the place.
hank
@ Blain @hank - Rural areas are a different thing. But I am sure that you both understand that urban areas have far more people in them than all rural areas do. Urban areas have way more highways, pollution, etc. So, I get your point, but it is a minor one in the grand scheme of things.
Blain- Electric cars- JUST the cars- are better with greenhouse gasses, but take a look at what hank says- Coal fired electricity is what most grids run off of now. In Iowa we have 255 of our energy needs in renewables (mostly wind) and that is not storable or scalable on demand.
We've got a long way to go before the energy electric cars use can be said to be "green".
And let's not even get into how dirty the batteries are......
Your tail pipe may be missing, and oil changes may become a thing of the past, but the "dirty" secret is that the issues are now one layer removed from your vehicle, and many people will be satisfied by just that- they won't "directly" be polluting. But by using a car/truck that is electrified, they still will be.
And there is traffic counts, noise, (yes- electric cars make noise from the tires, which is the major noise coming from ANY passenger car nowadays), and road infrastructure which wastes resources and pollutes the landscape.
The answer is less cars- whether they are powered by gas or electricity.
That should read 25%- NOT 255. My keyboard sucks! :>)
@G-Ted,
Chuckle, yea no one mentions what happens when the batteries die.
Where do they go? How much to dispose of? HOW TO dispose of? Where
will the disposed of bits go? WHY don't THOSE questions come up
and what are the answers, if they have any?
hank
@GT - check out this website: https://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/Find.do?year=2021&vehicleId=43663&zipCode=50315&action=bt3
Per that calculator put together by the DOE and EPA and using a Des Moines zip code it shows that a Chevy Bolt EV emits less than half the total emissions as the average new gasoline car. These studies have been done 'cradle to grave' and the EVs beat IC engines, easily. They just get better as solar/wind/hydro replaces aging coal plants. I'm with you on reducing number of cars, but EVs are certainly a path forward to reduce oil dependency and GHG emissions.
@hank - https://cen.acs.org/materials/energy-storage/time-serious-recycling-lithium/97/i28 There are loads of articles out there. It's an area that needs improvement, for sure, but it IS being talked about.
All of you are missing the obvious solution. To lower the price of gas we need another lockdown ;)
Blain, Howdy;
Nice to see it in a trade rag. I'm talking about getting that kind
of stuff on the Evening News. Out in the public where folks can at
the least get an idea of what is going on and form an opinion of
their own and be able to make an informed opinion of.
Thanks for the link, it was interesting.
hank
So I paid 12 bucks a gallon for diesel this week in Switzerland. How’s that for perspective?!
Less cars and less driving is the answer for sure. Ironically I rode far more in Arizona than I do now in Switzerland. Cars are dumb.
The comment and concerns about the current electrical infrastructure supporting is something I have read before. I lived out on the local economy in Sicily from 89-92. I had a nice apartment, but as with most places then, no central heating or air. If my 20 gallon hot water tank was running and I turned on my microwave, which was definitely an American convenience at the time, the breaker for my apartment would pop. I was dating a local girl for awhile and she asked me how in the world did we live in America with all the demands we put on our electrical system? There was a time here in the USA, when it was not much different. When required....things will change to support it.
It would be nice to see more bikes and less cars, regardless of the power source. Eventually there will be more bikes, but I find it hard to believe it will ever be something the majority of people in this country will do. Even in some of the more urban locations. I believe we will eventually see more progress in public transportation like we see in Japan. Spent time there visiting my God-daughter and we used trains to go everywhere. Except out in the country side, getting around by car looked like a big PIA.
As far as EVs and batteries. Everyone keeps thinking as they are now. I can remember the first battery powered drill I owned. Other than very light jobs, it was more of a novelty than something real practical. Now I go to work and the thought of having to use any kind of power tool that would have to be plugged in to an electrical outlet would seem ridiculous. I have already read some interesting articles in various science magazines about development and progress in battery design. Necessity is the mother of invention.
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