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Comment by ffjffsfr | Hacker News Reader

Probably not enough. Demand for power is also growing and we're not replacing dirty power plants with clean power fast enough.

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Apparently China has now reached a level of renewables buildout where they are deploying new power generation faster than industry can consume it. Estimates indicate they will enter a structural emissions decline as soon as next year [1]. And their rate of construction is accelerating. I'd add that the rest of the world will probably catch up, but honestly China is most of the ballgame.

[1] https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/nov/13/chinas-carb...

Also, a third of all new cars in China are electric, as are half of all new motorcycles. [According to The Economist earlier this year.]

It's inline with the net zero by 2050 path from BNEF

It's a culture built on having a car that gets the snowball rolling. Here in the West car ownership is taken for granted, as an integral part of having a home and a family.

It will be incredibly hard to dismantle the culture. We should start by banning status cars completely so that the cultural value of the car is of utility only.

It is however completely necessary to do this.

Just as having kids.

Electric car prices will plummet soon hopefully, and especially as iron based chemistries for batteries become more common

Car tires too need to become biodegradable. And we need to make cars that last twice as long in daily use. And we need all the charging infrastructure. Battery recycling. Noise barriers on every highway to save the wild bees. Green parking buildings that don't soak up heat in cities like large lots do.

The list of stuff that has to be done can keep growing. Can't communicate all that to someone who doesn't want to listen, so we have to communicate "ban cars" and wait for people to afford the attention span required. It's not a clean and simple business.

Important point about the tires. Electric cars will, though, produce less brake dust (which is horrible), because they barely use their hydraulic braking systems.

>It is however completely necessary to do this.

No its not. How about we first just get rid of the coal power plants and replace them with nuclear/renewables? Then we can just have electric cars. Why is it that climate activists so often ignore the biggest polluters, while putting most of their energy into making the common man make sacrifices? "Get rid of cars, eat bugs, etc." Its almost as if its controlled opposition from the fossil fuel industry itself.

Where are we going to get the power to run all those electric cars?

Nuclear, wind, solar. Besides, building a carless society isn't exactly emission free either. For that one would need higher housing density, which means more construction. Concrete production is a major source of carbon emissions.

Really cars are not any more of a problem than other forms of consumption.

>How about we first just get rid of the coal power plants and replace them with nuclear/renewables?

You still need all the infrastructure that electric cars rely on.

You'd get rid of private cars, not cars categorically. E.g. you could order a taxi for cheap and the taxi operator could have a car that lasts for 30 years instead of just 15.

The "eat bugs" remark was rude and uncalled for.

First you say owning a car is a cultural norm, then you say it should be changed by legislation. I'm afraid it is really hard to change culture with law.

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