I've always wondered about this. Similar to microplastics - everyone's tires wear, meaning small vulcanized rubber bits are being shed everywhere people drive. There must be some level of environmental impact of this
this post was submitted on 10 Sep 2023
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Can we move away from cars already?? People act like this movement against cars is just some aesthetic aversion based on personal preference. But cars literally ruin everything they touch, from commute times, housing supply, local economic activity, household debt, air pollution, water pollution, ground pollution, and just plain being the number one killer of children in the developed world. It’s mind boggling that cars are so normalized that many can’t see how obviously harmful they are.
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FYI the EU has regulations on this very topic and are about to get stricter.
The EU really seems to be leading the charge on 'shit that makes sense and improves the world a bit' these days
This is going to get a lot worse with electric vehicles because they weigh so much more in order to accommodate batteries (source)
No matter what, automobiles are going to wreak havoc on the environment.
The problem isn't that electric cars weigh more than ICE cars, it's that people buy absolutely enormous vehicles that are way bigger than they need. The top selling vehicles in the US right now are the Chevy Silverado, the Ford F-series, the Toyota Rav-4. These aren't even cars - they're trucks. Yes, people should drive lighter vehicles. But this was a problem way before EV's. People act like conventional cars don't have tires or something. The fact that this is suddenly considered a pressing issue seems to be more FUD from people who really hate the idea of electric vehicles.
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Why not just use automobiles with steel wheels? Then change the road to rails, make really long cars that hold a lot of people and... wait a sec...
You can only optimize something so much before it turns into either a train or a crab
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I now wonder what impact cycling has. Obviously, the tires are much smaller and supporting far less weight, but I’m sure I’m still spewing rubber when I brake.
How often do you change tires on your bike vs your car? 200lbs vs 2000lbs to stop is a pretty significant amount.
And the relationship between weight and tire/road wear is non-linear. I.e. 2000 lbs is not 10x worse, but worse to the fourth power!
This is why electric cars are not just a straightforward win. They are so much heavier that they will cause significantly more tire pollution and road damage, not to mention pedestrian deaths.
I really wish there was a small electric car, I'm thinking two seats, that had modern features and could fit taller people like me. Closest I've seen is something like the i3, but it's supposed to be cramped inside. Also it didn't do well at all at least in the North American market unfortunately, making it seemingly unlikely that they will really try again.
One reason they don’t do well is because we subsidize larger cars and penalize smaller ones. It’s not a free market. Regulatory capture by industry explains so many of our problems. If anything, smaller cars (and micro mobility) should receive subsidies, because they cost taxpayers less public money.
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The goal really should've been flying cars from day one
Or you know... trains or mass transit.
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Finally, they'll stop suppressing the development of human teleportation systems and they'll flood the market!
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