Because there isn’t enough lithium in the entire solar system to actually support everyone using electric cars at least with current technology. Even with projected advancement this won’t happen. We’re going to need better batteries using different materials. We’ll probably get to a point where renewables will supplant the current tech but it’s going to be rough.
Also, it is very important to understand that we have probably been in the first stages of collapse for a while now. About 30 years. We just haven’t really noticed because the rot is uneven and even as societies collapse they still often continue to progress for some time in various ways. It’s just now becoming evident because it can no longer be ignored.
As for bikes, it won’t be so bad. We’re adaptable creature and we’ll find a way to make it work. Cities will get denser and greener, but with less cars they will become quieter and more welcoming places. Public transit options will begin to become viable for the majority of people once again. There’s some hope that necessity will help drive a better future. If there is one thing humans are good at, it is adapting to their conditions.
Thanks for the detailed response! I agree with you with your thoughts on trajectory of society. I don’t have enough knowledge about earth lithium deposits to know if your statement about electric cars is true, but I was genuinely curious on your reasoning.
Mainly lithium and cobalt. There isn’t enough of either to replace all cars. Even if there was, there isn’t charging infrastructure. Even if there was, election cars only solve one of the many problems with cars. Car based society isn’t actually sustainable because you need high density to make cities economically viable and cars make density impossible. Cars create tremendous wear and tear on roads, which are extremely expensive to fix. Bikes and trains don’t have the same problems.
Cars have always been a bad idea. Electric cars are just a scam to keep petroleum cars on the road for a bit longer so we can avoid real solutions like good mass transit and bike infrastructure. Rich people like Musk hate the idea of being on a train with the poors so they sell fake solutions to shut down mass transit.
It’s an interesting scenario, but why count out electric cars?
Because there isn’t enough lithium in the entire solar system to actually support everyone using electric cars at least with current technology. Even with projected advancement this won’t happen. We’re going to need better batteries using different materials. We’ll probably get to a point where renewables will supplant the current tech but it’s going to be rough.
Also, it is very important to understand that we have probably been in the first stages of collapse for a while now. About 30 years. We just haven’t really noticed because the rot is uneven and even as societies collapse they still often continue to progress for some time in various ways. It’s just now becoming evident because it can no longer be ignored.
As for bikes, it won’t be so bad. We’re adaptable creature and we’ll find a way to make it work. Cities will get denser and greener, but with less cars they will become quieter and more welcoming places. Public transit options will begin to become viable for the majority of people once again. There’s some hope that necessity will help drive a better future. If there is one thing humans are good at, it is adapting to their conditions.
Thanks for the detailed response! I agree with you with your thoughts on trajectory of society. I don’t have enough knowledge about earth lithium deposits to know if your statement about electric cars is true, but I was genuinely curious on your reasoning.
https://www.thenation.com/article/environment/electric-vehicles-lithium-cobalt-sustainable/
Mainly lithium and cobalt. There isn’t enough of either to replace all cars. Even if there was, there isn’t charging infrastructure. Even if there was, election cars only solve one of the many problems with cars. Car based society isn’t actually sustainable because you need high density to make cities economically viable and cars make density impossible. Cars create tremendous wear and tear on roads, which are extremely expensive to fix. Bikes and trains don’t have the same problems.
Cars have always been a bad idea. Electric cars are just a scam to keep petroleum cars on the road for a bit longer so we can avoid real solutions like good mass transit and bike infrastructure. Rich people like Musk hate the idea of being on a train with the poors so they sell fake solutions to shut down mass transit.
https://jalopnik.com/did-musk-propose-hyperloop-to-stop-california-high-spee-1849402460
For the same cobalt and lithium as one car you can make dozens of bikes that don’t need any new infrastructure.
Cory Doctorow lays this all out pretty solidly in this interview:
https://thewaroncars.org/2022/01/26/the-end-of-uber-with-cory-doctorow/