Hacker News Reader

Comment by btbuildem | Hacker News Reader

I don't see this raised anywhere -- but what's so bad about producing fewer cars (the poor neglected shareholders and exec bonuses aside)?

It's almost as if we would need to lean into this, reducing growth and producing fewer cars would be in line with efforts to mitigate the drivers of climate change.

What if car manufacturers pivoted their KPIs and focused on making long-lasting, serviceable vehicles? Toyota is already the worldwide leader in these, as evidenced anywhere that's not smoothly paved suburbia-land.

View on HN

>It's almost as if we would need to lean into this, reducing growth and producing fewer cars would be in line with efforts to mitigate the drivers of climate change.

Newer cars pollute far less than old cars.

>What if car manufacturers pivoted their KPIs and focused on making long-lasting, serviceable vehicles?

They do make long-lasting, serviceable vehicles. Where have you been?

> Newer cars pollute far less than old cars.

More cars pollute more than fewer cars.

>More cars pollute more than fewer cars.

It must be nice to live in a sunny place where you can walk or bike to work.

Unfortunately, the rest of the world, including that which services fancy "green" neighbourhoods, require vehicles.

>(the poor neglected shareholders and exec bonuses aside)

Well, to provide a different perspective, there are car plants around the US that have been shutdown for months and the people formerly employed there haven't been able to work.

Not necessarily arguing that more cars are better, just its not only shareholders and executives who are hurt by the chip shortage.

Used car prices was up something like 90% and even renting cars is way more expensive already. This is just going to further constrain supply.

I tried renting a car and despite being sold out in the vast majority of places well ahead of time it was 2x the normal base price.

Consider for a moment the people outside the developed world whose lives are greatly improved by cars.

Scarcity drives prices up putting things out of their reach.

Have you even been to the developing world? We mostly drive old junkers that were discarded by Americans and Europeans after 15 years of use for breaking and polluting too much.

this comment is a textbook example of how out of touch many here are.

The developing world also makes cars. India - to name just one - is among the largest exporters of vehicles to several countries in Africa.

No, people in the developing world do not drive hand-me-downs from the West.

Both.

Need to keep that supply of junkers coming though!

Cars tend to diminish quality of life. Local, walkable and cyclable neighbourhoods on the other hand enable people to flourish. When people have to travel by vehicle, trains and trams are superior to cars.

Cars are only diminish quality of life when there are too many in a given area. For every person along the way though a car is a greater improvement than no car. Sure each one harms the overall quality of life, but the individual is better off.

how do you propose people in rural Africa transport their goods to markets? Cycle and trams? Perhaps electric buses?

Reply on news.ycombinator.com