• @PeriodicallyPedantic@lemmy.ca
    link
    fedilink
    1012 years ago

    We will never consumer our way of of a problem capitalism created. And public transit is nearly always a better solution to spending on car infrastructure.

    … but… If you’re gonna buy a new car anyway, they have the potential to cause less climate impact (although they’re still environmentally devastating in other ways). As power generation becomes cleaner, so too do the cars. ICE cars are already about as environmentally friendly as they’re gonna get, but EVs still have a lot of potential improvement (both in emissions and in things like material mining).

    Although the tire microplastics is gonna get worse.

    • @GenesisJones@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      452 years ago

      They already do cause less of an impact than ICE powered cars. Anyone can Google the information that shows that even though battery production is unclean, fossil fuel production over the life of a car is worse.

      If the EV last for more than about 5 years, it was worth it.

      • …except not, how rich are you that buying a new car every 5yr is viable?! I need longer than “about 5yr!”

        I know that’s not what you meant but it made me chuckle.

        • Saganastic
          link
          fedilink
          5
          edit-2
          2 years ago

          I don’t understand it either, but still, there is a very active used car market these days. It’s not like those 5 year old cars are getting thrown in the dump.

          But like you said, it’s not what the original poster meant. That’s just the cutoff for when it is less environmentally harmful than an ICE car.

        • Some people are also forced by their job to lease a new car every 4 years.

          It so bad that I cant even lease a 400km old car from 2022 … No I had to have a new one and if I dont want a car I need to find i different job.

          Shit’s fucking dumb.

          • Jeez, buncha moneybags around here that don’t like a joke, huh?

            What job forces people to lease new cars? Sounds like the job should be providing them if it’s gonna be like that, like they do with cell phones they require you to use as “work phones.”

            • It is like that, it isnt so much a personal issue as I can run the car as much as I want.

              Its more of a “we want to be good for the environment… But everyone needs a new car. And its mandatory”

      • @Toadiwithaneye@lemm.ee
        link
        fedilink
        12 years ago

        5 Years… This is part of the problem… What happens to this car after 5 years, it gets “recycled”. The metal does and the rest goes into a landfill to gas off. Micro plastics are just part of it, the gasses are a major polluter too. The reason you can own and keep your old car is that they were built to last, our current disposable society is the problem. Electric cars are dirty! Let go dig massive hole in the desert, lets separate the wanted materials out with lovely chemicals, then we can throw it all away. So clean… Right to repair, build to last, and strong public transport is the way to go.

        • @MrSqueezles@lemm.ee
          link
          fedilink
          32 years ago

          Phew! My electric car made it five years, right to the theoretical break even point with a gas car. What will I do now? Keep driving it? No, I have a better idea. Drive it off of a cliff and go buy a new one. Yep, I love throwing money away for no reason.

        • @Pandemanium@lemm.ee
          link
          fedilink
          22 years ago

          No one is recycling still-working cars after only 5 years. Unless you’re talking about insurance deciding to salvage a vehicle after a wreck, which is a different story. Even those don’t always get destroyed, some are parted out and some are probably shipped overseas to get a second life.

          • @Toadiwithaneye@lemm.ee
            link
            fedilink
            12 years ago

            New cars are cheaply made, with parts that sold in modules (parts attached to other parts) and are by far more expensive then their older counterparts. They also have been engineered to be a pain for mechanics to work on, they are no longer built to last or be repair friendly. Many parts are engineered with fasteners that break when you remove them, not making them friendly to being parted out. As for EV’s they are a dirty bandaid to a dirty problem, the batteries alone are, made with rare earth metals lithium, manganese and cobalt. These are all pulled out of the earth using chemicals to separate the materials, these mining areas may never fully recover the impact is huge. We still do not have the technology to recycle them, they just like plastics are not fully recyclable. We could build an affordable, repair friendly car that would be a great trade in for Dads old beater, but that wouldn’t get you into a New Ford Crapbox Deluxe.

    • @bob@feddit.uk
      link
      fedilink
      02 years ago

      Yeah but by the time some of that potential is realised, your brand new EV is now a few years old and almost worthless cos the batteries are next to useless.

      • @SuperIce@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        22 years ago

        Modern EV batteries last for over a decade and still retain most of their original capacity even after a few hundred thousand miles.