What do we do if cars become environmentally friendly?

[jonesy]

It's a shame that the range is still such an issue with electric cars, the manufacturers don't seem to be able to get it beyond 100 miles.

I can't understand why battery life has been improved in mobile phones, torches & watches etc., but not cars.

That isn't the case- battery technology has improved vastly in cars as well. That's why electric vehicles are now becoming commercially available that weren't a few years ago. e.g these:

http://www.renault-ze.com/en-gb/gamme-voitures-electriques-renault-z.e.-1932.html

I agree it remains the case that range for an EV is still far less than for a petrol or diesel car, but don't underestimate the complexity of the problem. Phones and watches need vastly less power than a vehicle, and developments like high output LEDs have greatly reduced the power consumption of torches, making existing battery technology last longer.

 

[Nick Salt]

As I said in my post, it needs very high taxes per space in the car parks. Out of town stores would have to put on busses if the tax per space were to be high enough.

Now that, sir is a VERY good idea!

 

[Mad Doug Biker]

How so, in both cases?

Because you can control how the power is produced and utilised if it all in one or a handful of places

There was a proposal a while back to switch all Electric power on the railways to Nuclear for the same reason - it could all be produced from very specific places.

I still rely on cars, despite not a driver. Most trips I can do on a bicycle, but shopping still eludes me and I will hitch a lift with relatives for bulky or numerous items. Have been tempted to invest in a trailer or build one and see how shopping goes with that... but lazyness and other interests have put pay to that.

Get an 8freight or similar then!

Mind you loading, unloading and transporting liquid hydrogen in bulk around the world would a bit dangerous!

Airships are the way forward.... no, wait...

 

[oldfatfool]

I only really cycle on the roads on a weekend, the rest of the week I use a greenway.

I just don't feel safe in congested early morning/ lunchtime traffic. That's not a comment on my riding ability or confidence, its just that no matter how much high viz I wear or how loud I have the airzound there is always a dick head that will nearly wipe me out, usually turning across me, or squeeze me into the kerb.

The only way to get people out of cars would be to invest in a proper cycling infrastructure, which of course you wouldn't need if there where no cars on the road

Unfortunately whatever the government spouts they do not want to halt/ curb car use, if they did there would be one hell of a budget deffecit.

 

[MacB]

I only really cycle on the roads on a weekend, the rest of the week I use a greenway.

I just don't feel safe in congested early morning/ lunchtime traffic. That's not a comment on my riding ability or confidence, its just that no matter how much high viz I wear or how loud I have the airzound there is always a dick head that will nearly wipe me out, usually turning across me, or squeeze me into the kerb.

The only way to get people out of cars would be to invest in a proper cycling infrastructure, which of course you wouldn't need if there where no cars on the road

Unfortunately whatever the government spouts they do not want to halt/ curb car use, if they did there would be one hell of a budget deffecit.

I think it's a lot more nuanced than that, many people will cite traffic, and lack of cyclepaths, as a reason for not cycling. It doesn't mean that they'd cycle if those hurdles were removed. I'm afraid that the only way to get people out of cars is to price, or legislate, them out. As long as a car is afforable, and vastly more convenient than other options, you've got no chance. Even when it isn't more convenient, or quicker, you've still got no chance.

Still our car insurance jumped 40% this year for no apparent reason, so things are heading the right way if for the wrong reasons.

 

[oldfatfool]

I think it's a lot more nuanced than that, many people will cite traffic, and lack of cyclepaths, as a reason for not cycling. It doesn't mean that they'd cycle if those hurdles were removed. I'm afraid that the only way to get people out of cars is to price, or legislate, them out. As long as a car is afforable, and vastly more convenient than other options, you've got no chance. Even when it isn't more convenient, or quicker, you've still got no chance.

Very true, bikes would have to come in water tight little bubbles with aircon for when the sun shines.

Still our car insurance jumped 40% this year for no apparent reason, so things are heading the right way if for the wrong reasons.

The only problem is by the time people are priced out of cars the countries reliance on the revenue would mean we wouldn't be able to buy a bike due to the tax that would be levied on them to compensate

 

[cycleruk]

A serious thought. Much of the cycling campaigning/promotion I see in comment, letters to papers and from cycle groups etc is done so on the basis of environmentalism. To me this ignores a future proposition - that if eco-motoring takes off and a solution is found, and to me there is a strong desire now to a) keep the car and b) remove the reliance on oil, that it will be harder to promote cycling.

So to me this says we have to focus far more on the health benefits of cycling. The traffic congestion benefits. The parking benefits.

So do you think eco-cars would represent the same-old same-old of car use we have experienced in the past 20 years, or do you think cycling can transcend that?

regard less of weather they burn fuel or not, bikes use less materials then cars so there for use less of the earths resources, no competition as far as i am concerned. I will continue to spend £300 on a new bike compared to 20 plus thousand pounds for a so called "eco" car!.

 

[cyberknight]

and don't forget the ecological footprint of extracting all the raw materials requred to make the batteries, proccessing said materials etc.

Our company makes a very popular hybrid and it has been shown the actual cost and pollution made by getting the raw materials , constructing the battery and shipping outweighs the environmental saving you make by using the car .

 

[Vigilies]

Wouldn't bother too much, there will still be huge queues of "personal transport devices" or whatever.

 

[biggs682]

cant see it happening to quick or cheeply