Technology

Or, please, trains.

Increase the gas tax. Set registration fees per pound of car.

We know how to do this. We also know how scared politicians are of angering anyone.

I drive a 2015 Chevy Spark, the gas version. The ev version was discontinued in 2016, the gas version was discontinued in 2022. The Chevy Sonic, a similar, but slightly larger model was discontinued in 2020. The Chevy Bolt, an ev and larger, but still compact model and a successor to the Spark and Sonic was discontinued this year. It's become apparent that most Americans do not like small cars. I don't think much can be done to make small cars likable here, I'd love to be able to drive a car like the Honda E, but there's no market for it here.

That's going to be a hard job. Cue the ones willing to die for their god given right to drive a car the size of a van to the shops they can see from their front door.

Small, pink cars?

I like it. Reminds me of a movie or something.

The author notes that he would like to see more people take public transportation, and I’m all for that. There’s one problem for me: In Michigan where I live there is no public transportation that really gets you around Detroit, or gets you from the suburbs to Detroit. There is the joke of a QLine that goes no where and the People Mover that also doesn’t do much, but other than that nothing. Convincing people that have private transportation (read: cars) that they should invest/have their taxes used for public transportation is a no-go. Convincing the rich that they should pay more than $0 a year in taxes is even harder. This is probably the case a in several states around the country, but definitely in Michigan (and believe me, we tried with a bus system). So while I get that smaller cars can be and maybe should be thing, I think public transportation, as the author points out, could also be a thing. However, trying to get anyone, especially millionaires and billionaires, to pay a cent more than they are forced to is like pulling teeth.

Just sold my Model 3 for a long time want, Fiat 500 Abarth. Couldn’t be happier.

My husbands 2009 Corolla finally needed replacing (couldn't pass inspection due to rusted frame) and he had the WORST time finding a car anywhere at the nearby dealerships. Everything was trucks and SUVs, finally he found one that had 3 cars and 1 mostly fit the price/criteria he wanted.

We're in the rural north east and the number of big ass trucks is insane, it's getting harder and harder to park between them all and I hate trying to get out of parking spaces when I can't see for shit around them.

Won't happen. That country is obsessed with being seen wearing its big boy pants, to the detriment of everything. Their entire culture is built around the myth of American exceptionalism and it inhibits any potential for learning or even just rational decision making. It is in their DNA to be offensively stupid and contrarian at every opportunity.

Americans will embrace small cars when we don't need to drive 1+hours every single day.

How about one of these bad boys?

https://www.motor1.com/news/680166/third-generation-honda-n-box-debut/

They're actually pretty roomy inside. Not aerodynamic, and I wouldn't want to be driving over 55 in one, but they're pretty neat.

We had compact cars in the 70s and 80s then massive SUVs and now massive pickups became the norm. Pickups have not only become louder but they don't even fit in parking spaces completely anymore.

Let me buy a kei truck. Let me revel in its smallness.

Same with EV's, this stuff will save the car industry but not the planet.
We need to figure out how to rebuild our infrastructure and our ways of thinking such that we don't need individual hunks of carbon toting us around.

It's the 70s all over again.