Switzerland Plans to Restrict the Use of Electric Cars During the Energy Crisis

The smart thing to do would be including an explicit possibility to also requisition any ICE car for duties like emergency transport or stationary heat/power for an extreme scenario like that. Not only to soften the prepper appeal (that will still be strong nonetheless, just like it already was strong before those BEV restriction contingency plans), but also because that's something you'd actually want to do if it came that far.

Not to mention... electric leaf blowers. It seems oddly specific. I mean the green alternative to a leaf blower is a rake, it's just a bit more labor intensive.

Many people don’t own cars, myself included, i think my yearly travel costs would equate to a couple of months of car ownership.

I’m a member of a car share scheme for the few times i do need a car, moving large stuff around etc.

It’s not always practical, costs with families can quickly rack up, more remote places are less well served (but still served).

The half tax card is not just for citizens, but it isn’t so widely known about that not having one is a bit of a tourist tax, you just have to work out if your length of stay and travel costs will be reduced enough to cover the upfront cost of the pass

> I give up. You’ll find me on Gemini.

Blocking those ads takes far less effort for far greater gains given the dearth of content hosted on Gemini. Just block the damn things already, no holds barred, pedal to the metal, guns blazing. The only good ad is a blocked ad.

Yes, this is the penultimate step before blackouts. Other steps in the same category are: Heating limited to 18C, maximum washing machine temperature of 40C, restrictions on opening hours for business, etc..

Yes. This may be the reason Toyota is yet to go all in on EV's (though they have invested in it somewhat). The ceo may be the smartest guy in the room.

https://www.cnbc.com/2022/09/29/toyota-ceo-stands-by-electri...

Everyone isn't going to switch over in 1 month or even 1 year. There will be a slow progression. We never have "doubts" that the grid can actually handle the demand when for each new 200+ person development we build. I'm sure there are places that need upgrades but they'll get them when they are needed just like when we put in a new shopping center and have to add new infrastructure.

you have anything of substance to say?

I've flagged it.

Where does it say that? AFAIK these will be voluntary measures.

> A democracy functions under freedom of movement, speech, self-defense, self-reliance, etc

Not to nit pick, but while I'm picking nits. What you refer to is liberal democracy. Karl Popper explained this very well in his book Conjectures And Refutations:

> The difference between a democracy and a tyranny is that under a democracy the government can be got rid of without bloodshed; under a tyranny it cannot.

> Democracy as such cannot confer any benefits upon the citizen and it should not be expected to do so. In fact democracy can do nothing—only the citizens of the democracy can act (including, of course, those citizens who comprise the government). Democracy provides no more than a framework within which the citizens may act in a more or less organized and coherent way.

> We are democrats, not because the majority is always right, but because democratic traditions are the least evil ones of which we know. If the majority (or ‘public opinion’) decides in favour of tyranny, a democrat need not therefore suppose that some fatal inconsistency in his views has been revealed. He will realize, rather, that the democratic tradition in his country was not strong enough.

If people in Switzerland choose a government that restricts their movement, this is what they should get, and if they don't get that, democracy is broken.

I think your presentation is a bit unrealistic. If these things happen, they will probably happen a bit more covert. I agree on your premise: that the government has an incentive to get more and more control over its citizens, but I am more afraid for the trump-type governments using tools like "the protection of free speech" against their political enemies and using the blocking of electric cars to block their political enemies (as it is more usually rich left-leaning people that own electric cars). I was also against the lockdowns that were done by most western governments. But your fear for this kind of oppression is -I think- a bit overblown.

They can move, just not in an electric vehicle. This freedom has been challenged during covid years though, with governments still looking into more permanent "pandemic" laws that CAN restrict people's movement. That's not a good development.

I mean I get where they're coming from - in the Netherlands, they couldn't stop people coming together for house parties / gatherings so they installed a curfew - but it felt draconic and like they didn't have a plan. Every time they announced new restrictions or lifting them it felt arbitrary.

Self-defense is a debatable one. It's not working in the US for example - how many crimes and deaths are prevented because of the 2nd amendment rights? All I hear is victims of gun violence.

Anyway. People can move, just not in an EV, if it's empty and can't be charged due to grid restrictions. People aren't censored, they're just not platformed if their opinion is shit - freedom of speech / expression is not a requirement to be platformed. You aren't told to support the government, you can vote for something else. However, you are expected to behave under the laws, and you may disagree with them, etc - just be aware of the consequences.

If you feel like you live in a totalitarian state - and I understand that people would if they live in the US - you can always move. That's the other freedom of movement you enjoy, the freedom to leave the country if you don't like it.

"you’re not free or in a democracy. "

Depends. People could vote against emergency laws now, but since most people are ok with that mechanism, it is democratic. And I say that as someone who is not ok with those laws. But I can accept that the majority thinks otherwise.

And in general, switzerland with their tradition of direct democracy and consensus is certainly more democratic than most other states.

Where are you people getting this idea that they will shut things down remotely, it’s not mentioned anywhere in this article, the sources, or official pages

A handy hack for getting around pesky legal protections of human rights is to realize that while the rights themselves are protected, the levers people apply to them in everyday practice are not. So you can just selectively outlaw levers.

I largely agree with you, but before you call a post garbage, you might want to be a little more specific and even cite some sources. He raises some troubling issues concerning cost/benefit that have largely gone unanswered.