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posted by martyb on Thursday February 07 2019, @05:24AM   Printer-friendly
from the to-make-the-cars-green,-they-used-copious-amounts-of-paint dept.

Phys.org:

Lyft passengers will soon be able to request a ride in an electric or hybrid vehicle when they're planning a trip.

The ride-hailing company is launching the feature first in Seattle and then in other cities. The option will show up when passengers are choosing between available Lyft vehicles and it will not cost more for riders than traveling in a car with an internal combustion engine.

Lyft is also rolling out electric vehicles in Seattle and Atlanta in the fleet of cars that it rents to Lyft drivers who don't own their own vehicles.

The company met with driver and rider groups in the Pacific Northwest and "the number one thing on the list for passengers and for drivers was green vehicles," said Jon McNeill, chief operating officer of Lyft.

Does requesting an electric car reduce your personal carbon footprint that much after having flown into town on a 747?


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  • (Score: 2) by Unixnut on Thursday February 07 2019, @11:48AM (2 children)

    by Unixnut (5779) on Thursday February 07 2019, @11:48AM (#797715)

    I don't know, a lot of people seem to think electric cars "are a thing of the future". Fact is they are very much a thing of the past. Electric vechicles pre-date internal combustion. Some of the first motorised vehicles were battery electrics. As such, battery and motor technology has been developing for the last century along with IC Engines.

    Yet still, the technology is inferior to ICE. The problem isn't the electric motors, the problem is the batteries. They are a very poor method of storing energy, and it shows, especially when you compare against liquid fuels. That is why historically they are only used where liquid fuels can't be (small portable electronics primarily). Anything big enough to be powered by an ICE and liquid fuel, was done so (assuming no other restrictions).

    > Check back in 20 years and see where we are with EVs.

    The only reason EVs are popular right now, is because governments are pushing people to buy them with bribes (discounts, subsidies, perks). Nobody I know bought an EV because they wanted an EV, or because it was better than their old car. They bought them because of the perks provided by the government (and usually as a second or third car).

    The moment a government stops the perks (like I think Sweden did recently), all the growth in EV purchases collapsed. It is artificial demand, and as soon as governments stop propping up demand, it collapses.

    ICE cars became popular because they were clearly better than alternatives, and they are still popular because they are better than the alternatives.

    What will happen in 20 years, I am not sure. It could go either way. At some point Governments won't be able to afford the subsidies and perks for EVs, and will stop them. People would then flock back to ICE cars.

    Therefore governments would have to restrict availability of ICE cars. Essentially make it so there is no better alternative to EVs anymore, and people would have no choice. Either they pay the full costs of the EV they need, or don't have a car.

    I suspect the latter will happen. There will be fewer cars in the western world as people become poorer. As urban cities get denser there just won't be space for cars anymore. Even now, fewer and fewer people can afford a car. You got "car sharing" apps, and taxis for being driven somewhere, plus a bunch of public transport. Not to mention bicycles, including ones with electric/ICE assist. I suspect that will be the main method of mass mobility in the future (mostly bikes, think How China was in the 80s).

    Cars will become a thing for the well off only, and probably a mix of ICE and EV, depending on how energy storage technology moves on.

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  • (Score: 2) by black6host on Thursday February 07 2019, @12:23PM (1 child)

    by black6host (3827) on Thursday February 07 2019, @12:23PM (#797720) Journal

    Good points you raise. Let's meet up in 2039 and discuss! :)

    • (Score: 2) by Unixnut on Sunday February 10 2019, @02:06PM

      by Unixnut (5779) on Sunday February 10 2019, @02:06PM (#799103)

      Alas, the universes time system clock is stored as a 32-bit integer, and as such all existence will cease in 2038. Renders the topic a bit moot :-D

      I suspect up until then, the world will go through quite some changes. It has changed a lot since the 2000's already.