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Comment by andreasvc | Hacker News Reader

What is your argument that flying cars would beat out road cars? Flying requires way more energy and energy has always been scarce up till now.

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It's not as simple as that. People fly now as well. If everything's about energy efficiency, people wouldn't leave their house. If by flying you can commute from a much cheaper place than it's worth it. Also, you have to factor in the road construction/maintenance costs which flying doesn't have. Especially in the third world where roads aren't built yet. Also, the flying can be in the form of airships which are energy efficient.

The most dramatic counterargument is with distribution of goods, which mostly occurs with cargo ships, trucks, and trains--simply because those are way cheaper & more efficient than flying. The simple physics argument is that it requires extra work to keep something flying, which is better avoided. So roads and rails will need to be kept anyway, and it's highly unlikely that people wouldn't use them.

On the other hand, I do have to say I'm a big fan of airships, but I'm not holding my breath for their return. I even doubt people would accept that travelling has to be so much slower in an airship, now that he jet age has arrived.

That's all about bulk cargo though. For people movement and last mile delivery like pizza, energy isn't the major consideration. And airships don't compete with jets. They're either bulk cargo or scenic travel. If airships are commonplace some people will choose to live in airships permanently, gliding with magnificent views, like some people currently do with boats and rv's.

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