[Ledgem]

Originally Posted by kyp275

Of course, but you also can't argue under the assumption that the majority of people are driving gas-guzzling SUVs/trucks/sports car. I believe the original line of argument was that gas tax should be raised to make EV more palatable, which IMO is the wrong approach, as it'd be a regressive tax raise that will hit the poor the hardest, as they are the people who are least financially capable of adapting to the change. Do no forget that raising the price of a basic commodity like fuel is likely going to lead to increased general inflation, including basic goods such as food, potentially leading to a double-whammy against the poor.

It's not really an assumption. I made my statements off of observations of what I see on the road, but here's some data to back it up. Look at that first graph, comparing sales of cars with light trucks over the course of two years (start of 2011 to start of 2013): they're about equal. The table below it shows actual sales numbers, but unfortunately it's limited to January 2013; regardless, if you make the assumption that one month's sales data is roughly the same as for other months (which is a very poor assumption to make), you'll see that cars (of all classes - midsize, small, luxury, and large) barely outsold light-duty trucks. Add in sales of SUVs and crossover vehicles (still SUVs) and you come out well ahead of cars. That actually places cars in the minority. So...

Regarding the taxes, it's a tough issue. I supported the idea of slowly raising taxes to make gasoline less appealing and then using those taxes to help develop its replacement because it's a controlled scenario. The alternative is that gas prices are going to rise on their own and then we'll be forced to scramble with the replacement when that time comes. The market would sort it out, but the latter scenario has the potential to be very chaotic. The former minimizes the pain, but it makes people upset because we're creating a scenario of discomfort for ourselves.

Originally Posted by kyp275

Sorry, it may be inspiring in a "oh, that's kinda neat" way, it's a different story when you're the one doing it, and have no choice but to do it.

Sure, but I think those stories are valuable to read over regardless. Inspiration was the wrong thing to emphasize - it shows what's possible. I never would have thought that using a bicycle to get over hills, ride 20 miles one-way, to get to work all while physically out of shape was possible at all, but I've read stories of people doing it. Now I know that it's possible. Many of them report feeling better, noting health benefits, etc. as well - not unexpected.

The point I was trying to make is that it's very easy to immediately dismiss the idea as being too much work, if not completely impossible. See what others are doing and realize that it may not be as much work or as impossible as you thought. (Again, this won't work for everyone, but there are many, many people who are using cars when they could very easily be using a bicycle.)

Originally Posted by Solace

My belief is that if you were to show people how advantageous something like high speed rail could be, it would go a long way toward pushing to develop serious public transportation across the country. I think there will always be value for cars, even for recreation, but in a lot of instances where you need transportation having a car is overkill.

I think that part of the problem is what people have become used to. A car is almost like a second home for many people; it's their own personal space. They can customize it as they like, they can blast their own music, they can sing at the top of their lungs if they want to. Convertibles aside, they're in their own little isolated bubble, moving through the world and only opening the windows and doors when they want, to the things that they want. On a train or bus there are other people. You're in a public space. You can't do what ever you want, you can't adjust the seat, and you have no control over how fast or slow you're going along your route. It is arguably not as comfortable as if you were in your own vehicle. Unless public transportation were much cheaper, I think many people would reject it for those reasons alone.

Originally Posted by kyp275

There are currently barely over 5,000 charging stations in the entire US, as opposed to over 110,000 gas stations. A gas station can also serve a significantly higher number of vehicles than a comparable charging station, as it takes only a few minutes to refuel a car as opposed to the hours it'd take to charge up a single EV.

Charging stations are only really an issue for long-distance travelers. Home-owners can charge at their house; apartment dwellers would need to lobby their management to get a solution set up for their building. I don't mean to downplay the importance of road-side charging stations, but the majority of people run a commute between their home and their place of work, and that is it.

Your concerns about being able to power electric vehicles is valid. I'm a fan of nuclear energy, personally...

Originally Posted by kyp275

Try years and you'll be closer. The battery pack also don't last forever, and their replacement cost certainly is anything but cheap.

This is a big myth against hybrids. Some studies were carried out examining the first-generation Priuses, now over ten years old, comparing their battery statistics to what was expected when they were new, and compared to newer Priuses. They found that the batteries had lost surprisingly little of their maximum capacity, and that they were still going strong. This isn't to say that batteries never fail, but the old idea that the batteries would be dead within five years has been disproven.

Originally Posted by GundamFan0083

Limiting the size of the soda is not going to be effective since people will just order more of the smaller sizes, it's stupid.

It's not a silver bullet, but forcing smaller portions - even when there's the possibility of ordering or buying second servings - is a proven method for limiting consumption. This isn't a stupid idea at all.