I find that plan very attractive actually. I live in Germany (Hamburg is approx. 3 hours from the town where I'm studying) and most of my friends sold their cars because they just don't need 'em anymore for there are endless possibilities of transport (I.e. Carpooling, Trams, Railway or you simply rent a car if you need to transport something heavy). I have a drivers license and I owned two cars in my lifetime so far because I lived in a small town. For now I don't see any use in owning a car. Of course it's an awesome feeling to be independent and free but I would give that up easily in order to make my country greener and the environment healthier.
[QUOTE=POLOPOZOZO;43461431]yeah just like in the future we'll all eat meat-shaped bits made out of a synthetic paste
wait[/QUOTE]
What is your point? Are you implying I'm wrong in saying that cars won't disappear or in saying electric cars might eventually be a thing?
[QUOTE=CabooseRvB;43454665]I should ask the Euro FPers, how important is it for you guys to be able to drive once you turn 18? Do you guys often use public trans as opposed to getting your own vehicle?
Because I know for a fact that in the US almost everybody wants to get their own car and it's pretty much a sign of independence and freedom for teens that are growing up here in the US.
Rate Agree if getting a car at 18 is pretty important
Disagree if it isn't really that vital to own a car or be able to drive one at 18[/QUOTE]
from experience - most people have licenses, the majority only drive from time to time. It's not really that high on the need list.
[QUOTE=OvB;43455436]I don't like public transportation because I like to be in control of where I want to go, how I want to get there, and the atmosphere in which I sit while I get there (climate control/music)[/QUOTE]
I think that only happens when public transport isn't ubiquitous - when you can get anywhere way faster with public transport, cars only really matter when you're carrying heavy loads which doesn't happen all that often.
Plus remember that it often gets close to impossible to park in the city,let alone park for semi normal prices and lastly, the over of fuel in Europe is a lot higher.
but what happens when the medium comercial zones start complaining about lack of freight shipments
[editline]8th January 2014[/editline]
hamburg is pretty cool for doing this, but isn't winter in germany like cold?
[QUOTE=thelurker1234;43455502]I highly doubt gas cars will go away completely, my best guess is that the majority of people, people who don't know too much about automobiles and probably couldn't care less, will switch to electric, while enthusiasts will drive with gas.[/QUOTE]
What should we know about automobiles that make us want to use gas instead of electric?
[QUOTE=Sableye;43462609]but what happens when the medium comercial zones start complaining about lack of freight shipments
[editline]8th January 2014[/editline]
hamburg is pretty cool for doing this, but isn't winter in germany like cold?[/QUOTE]
Around -2°C / 28°F at the coldest in January according to
[url]http://www.world-guides.com/europe/germany/state-of-hamburg/hamburg/hamburg_weather.html[/url]
I.e. put on a pair of gloves and you're fine.
[QUOTE=J!NX;43453925]fuck you I want my hovercars
its kinda... Funny actually
the automobile was the godsend of travel, it was the sign of taste and status to some/many people. It would allow families to travel wherever they wanted at such an ease that people literally couldn't believe it.
now it shows signs of being outdated tech compared to personal pods / alternative vehicles.
makes you think... what's after that?[/QUOTE]
Technology is funny like that. I've noticed that we've gone from sending telegraphs, to the telephone, and now we have mobile phones that we use to send telegraphs to each other.
[QUOTE=Zero-Point;43464498]Technology is funny like that. I've noticed that we've gone from sending telegraphs, to the telephone, and now we have mobile phones that we use to send telegraphs to each other.[/QUOTE]
Not only that but email, IM, cameras (Telephone just you can see people) and FORUMS
Well, it's much more convenient to store a lot of information in text.
My family came to the states through hamburg, Its nice to see the city becoming a metropolis of sorts
[QUOTE=Native Hunter;43464623]My family came to the states through hamburg, Its nice to see the city becoming a metropolis of sorts[/QUOTE]
Hamburg is a lovely city, I went through there when I was in Germany.
[QUOTE=OvB;43455436]I don't like public transportation because I like to be in control of where I want to go, how I want to get there, and the atmosphere in which I sit while I get there (climate control/music)[/QUOTE]
So basically "fuck the environment I need my luxuries"
[QUOTE=Killuah;43465126]So basically "fuck the environment I need my luxuries"[/QUOTE]
You don't need to give up luxury to be environmentally friendly.
[QUOTE=CabooseRvB;43454665]
Because I know for a fact that in the US almost everybody wants to get their own car and it's pretty much a sign of independence and freedom for teens that are growing up here in the US.
[/QUOTE]
the reason for this is because America is filled with vast open spaces and come nowhere close to the tightness of communities unless you're in a city like New York or Boston. most Americans [b]need[/b] a car because public transport can only bring you so far around here. the closest friend of mine lives at least 3.5 miles away, and while that is certainly a bikeable distance in the summer, it's also a bike ride that takes 45 minutes and is kind of a pain in the ass in the elements
This is a good thing for everybody you idiots. If there's a lowered need for people to use cars then the people who choose to use cars wont have to put up with as much traffic, and people who don't use cars can actually get around the city.
No one is trying to take away your precious car, they just want to make it so a car isn't a necessity.
[QUOTE=OvB;43465355]You don't need to give up luxury to be environmentally friendly.[/QUOTE]
Looking at the current state of the world, gross domestic products, standards of living and who and what does most damage to the environment for what reasons,
yes you do. You do indeed.
[editline]8th January 2014[/editline]
[QUOTE=Janus Vesta;43465515]This is a good thing for everybody you idiots. If there's a lowered need for people to use cars then the people who choose to use cars wont have to put up with as much traffic, and people who don't use cars can actually get around the city.
No one is trying to take away your precious car, they just want to make it so a car isn't a necessity.[/QUOTE]
But taking rhetorical statements like "car free city" literal is so easy, doesn't require us to think in abstract solutions and additionally allows us to voice ourselves without any effort at all! It's so [I]fun![/I]
(this was sardonic)
[QUOTE=Killuah;43465126]So basically "fuck the environment I need my luxuries"[/QUOTE]
I wouldn't call going somewhere you want to under your control to be a luxury compared to public transport. Public transport doesn't go everywhere on earth and it is not the most dependable transportation either. People want to be able to get to places on their own and to places public transport does not cover.
[QUOTE=MrJazzy;43461862]What is your point? Are you implying I'm wrong in saying that cars won't disappear or in saying electric cars might eventually be a thing?[/QUOTE]
gas cars won't be replaced by electric entirely ever
[QUOTE=Kalleo;43463171]Around -2°C / 28°F at the coldest in January according to
[url]http://www.world-guides.com/europe/germany/state-of-hamburg/hamburg/hamburg_weather.html[/url]
I.e. put on a pair of gloves and you're fine.[/QUOTE]
oh cas its only 20 out here in ohio and you don't want to walk 20 blocks or ride bikes around to get anywhere in this weather
[editline]8th January 2014[/editline]
i thought germany's winters were similar to ohio
[QUOTE=CabooseRvB;43454665]I should ask the Euro FPers, how important is it for you guys to be able to drive once you turn 18? Do you guys often use public trans as opposed to getting your own vehicle?
Because I know for a fact that in the US almost everybody wants to get their own car and it's pretty much a sign of independence and freedom for teens that are growing up here in the US.
Rate Agree if getting a car at 18 is pretty important
Disagree if it isn't really that vital to own a car or be able to drive one at 18[/QUOTE]
I don't know about social pressures. I do feel a bit bad being 21 and never having learned to drive.
But for logistics it probably depends where you live. I've been living in cities mostly where there's a lot of public transport, so it's fine not having a car, but I wouldn't want to be without one if I found myself living in the countryside.
I'm from the UK by the way, Flagdog just identifies me as Russian somehow.
[QUOTE=Killuah;43465126]So basically "fuck the environment I need my luxuries"[/QUOTE]
Yeah, let's all ride a bike to work!
...Ain't nobody got time for dat shit. We shouldn't need to lower our standard of living.
[QUOTE=POLOPOZOZO;43466729]gas cars won't be replaced by electric entirely ever[/QUOTE]
I don't think so either, but why not?
[QUOTE=Sableye;43466741]oh cas its only 20 out here in ohio and you don't want to walk 20 blocks or ride bikes around to get anywhere in this weather
[editline]8th January 2014[/editline]
i thought germany's winters were similar to ohio[/QUOTE]
Hamburg is by the sea, so think more like UK winters. As well as summers. Berlin has significant larger extremes compared to it for instance. That said, that weather is the average mean as far as I can see, and not typical extremes.
[URL]http://weatherspark.com/averages/28626/Hamburg-Germany[/URL]
Seems better.
[QUOTE=Jackpody;43466280]I wouldn't call going somewhere you want to under your control to be a luxury compared to public transport. Public transport doesn't go everywhere on earth and it is not the most dependable transportation either. People want to be able to get to places on their own and to places public transport does not cover.[/QUOTE]
Keep in mind, that this is talking about the situation of inner city living, not living on the countryside. As it is, a car, full time control and route choice can be sort of considered a luxury in cities where public transport is a) reliable
b) ubiquitous
c) fast
no one is saying, that cars aren't useful. But I can you really not needing one in a lot of EU cities apart from a few rare cases. Owning one is good. Driving one, not so much often.
You will still be able to own and have cars, they will be in garages on the outskirts of the city, for travel outside the city. All cities should head in this direction.
Although with the UK's current train prices, it's cheaper to drive a car than ride a train which is pretty retarded.
It costs £15.40 (return) for me to travel 10 miles by train.
I wouldn't mind having to bike to places in town ~ if there's like some main bikeway with a roof overhead so I won't get soaked every time it rains.
As for electric cars, I hope that once they do get rolling, they actually do add in engine sounds like somebody said on the first page.
Like, for the driver optionally, as I do like to hear the roar of my engine, but mostly also for pedestrians.
The amount of times i've almost been hit by one of them sneaky priusses is rediculous.
Next to that, I actually like shifting gears. Anyone think there's a way for shifting gears in electrical cars? (or better yet, would there ever be a need?)
[QUOTE=MyAlt91;43473096]Next to that, I actually like shifting gears. Anyone think there's a way for shifting gears in electrical cars? (or better yet, would there ever be a need?)[/QUOTE]
I think pure electrics don't use conventional gearboxes (do they even use gearboxes at all?) Hybrids use gearboxes because the electric motor isn't always running, and the engine still needs to deliver power to the wheels in some way.
On that, continuously variable transmissions (infinite ratio gearboxes) should be the way to go for all automatic-option cars. Under economy mode, they let the engine run at its most efficient speed with variable speed. Under power mode it's the same, except the engine will be running at its best output only. Would also work extremely well with a two-step cam changing valvetrain (like Honda's VTEC for those not well versed in car terminology). And you can still simulate a traditional transmission as if the car had an automatic sports shift gearbox (which can be done by telling the car's computer to simply leave the current effective gear ratio alone).
So it looks like they've come up with the final solution to the car problem.
[QUOTE=Teddybeer;43455241]Just put a speaker going vroom vroom on it, everyone happy.[/QUOTE]
Or just make your own engine sounds as you drive!
[QUOTE=SBD;43473378]So it looks like they've come up with the final solution to the car problem.[/QUOTE]
Can you possibly be any more edgy?
What exactly is the 'car problem'?
[QUOTE=Antdawg;43473489]Can you possibly be any more edgy?
What exactly is the 'car problem'?[/QUOTE]
It's a Hitler analogy.
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