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this post was submitted on 17 Jul 2023
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Fuck Cars
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Public transit good, but in america public transit is not well funded and only really available in big cities. I think sadly it will be years before americans can give up the independence of being able to have transportation direct from point a to point b. Consider that in rural areas it could be a 30 minute drive to get groceries with no transit options. As long as americans are going to drive cars, we can at least try to make them electric vs ICE.
I will continue to vote for public transit initiatives and if we had a bus or train system in my town I would use it. I have a fuel efficient ICE car but trying to buy electric as soon as I can afford to buy something that isn't a telsa pile of crap.
The issue with this is that electric car batteries cause lots of damage to the environment in their production. Manufacturing any new car is environmentally destructive. You may want to reconsider buying a new car if it's just for environmental reasons as you may be doing more harm than good.
If you can convert it to run on biofuel that's potentially a better option. This is easier if it's a diesel vehicle and diesel engines are inherently more efficient to begin with. The reason environmentalists don't like them is to do with nitrous oxides and carbon particles rather than carbon dioxide emissions.
This is true of our modern age and is something we need to address in battery technology. There are already some alternatives to LiPO (lithium) although theh have their draw backs as well as their strengths. This post is about electric trains, which require similar batteries to electric cars. All ICE vehicles require a battery and typically lead-acid is used, which although possible to recycle can have a significant environmental impact if it makes its way to the landfill.
I am not sure how easy it would be to convert a non-diesel engine to a biodiesel engine, and I have a non-diesel engine. The reasons you say environmentalists don't like biodiesel seem relevant although I can't weigh the environmental impact of those chemicals. CO2 is a great thing for plants, not really for humans, mammals and climate. Kids love nitrous at parties.. idk.
I am talking about why governments and environmentists dislike fossil diesel, not biodiesel. Though they also apply to biodiesel it's worth it not to contribute to climate change.
I don't think it's possible. You would replace the engine. Still easier than replacing an ICE with an electric drive train.
We have reached the point in this discussion where it's being said cars are still required for some people. I am trying to say how they can be made more environmentally friendly besides electric cars which are horrific to produce.
Electric trains don't use batteries like electric cars use. Don't know where you are getting this idea from. They take power from the grid via electrified railway.
Lots of trains run on diesel though. For these I think Biodiesel is also a good idea rather than trying to replace every single one. This is more for railcars than locamotives though, since all locamotives are electric anyway. Diesel locomotives have electric motors and drive train powered by a diesel generator; these are called diesel electric trains.
My issue here, as is thr case with americans, is that we don't have a great train system (only goes city to city, mostly freight because amtrak is crippled). The rails we have aren't electrified. If U wanted to take the train somewhere, I would need to drive hours to a train station, where I could then go to a handful of cities and it would take a few days to do so. It's also possible the train will be derailed.
This isn't me shitting on trains, this is me shitting on america's train system. Some cities have light rail, and when I could i used that all the time. My daily transport to and from the office was by light rail, because my office was downtown and I happened to find a rental that was a mile from a train stop, not too bad of a walk. Light rail can be great for cities, assuming the city is large enough to support the cost and taxpayers willing to foot the bill. Otherwise you get some "light rail but it's a bus that has a dedicated lane and runs on fossil fuels but hey we don't always ask for fare when you board so it's basically light rail" bullshit.
I no longer live in the city. The city with all the light rail is a two hour drive away. If I didn't have a car, that would mean a 2 hour bus ride, a 2 hour cab ride or if I had a friend out here with a plane and a pilots license willing to fly me, an hour flight from the tiny regional airport. There isn't even bus service here. The town is pretty walkable, although very hilly. But the kicker is that if you need something specific, you need a car. America is not europe. America is a large land with most people spread out and few options for travel besides car. America is car country, and I guess it's infectious. A friend of mine in poland recently bought an american car because they like them or are facinated by them. I don't even understand that. Europe is very well connected with transit and the roads are tiny.. what benefit does a huge american car have there?!
All I am saying is that unless the american people and government get on board it will be near impossible to kill the train lobby that cripples amtrak, expand amtrak, allow competitors, build new rail, electrify it, upgrade our grid to use more renewables (that one is coming slowly), etc. I will always vote this way but I am one vote. I will try to encourage others but you gotta realize half of this country likes to "roll coal" (remove the cat converter and exhaust black smoke near people or protestors, to be obnoxious). They beleive that there is such a thing as "clean coal" and that we've already fixed the environmental impact of burning coal, that anyone who says otherwise is a liberal cuck who is in the pocket of big solar.
America: it's dumber here.
I agree that cars are necessary in some countries and places. Why are you preaching to the converted?
That's why I am suggesting things like Biodiesel because I know cars aren't going away everywhere. I also know diesel trains aren't going anywhere for at least a decade, hence why I also suggest biofuels here too.
If you want a new car that's good for the environment, buy a second hand diesel then use it with biofuel. You can buy or make biodiesel yourself. Some engines can run straight vegetable oil too or can be converted to do so. This is handy because vegetable oil can be bought from any super market and many businesses throw away used oil that cane be reused for running a car.
We are both preaching, thats what the comment section is. I am telling readers (not just you) that if we want a less car brain america we have a lot of work to do.
You are preaching to other readers (not just me) about why biodiesel > electric cars. If you were talking directly to me, I would say:
It would be easy to write me off as another carbrain, and maybe I am. My larger point is just that this shit is a lot more complicated than people think (for america at least). I didn't even mention the whole towns that support the coal / oil industries because they employ half the town. In america, conservationism is blocked by conservatives.