this post was submitted on 31 Jan 2026
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Fuck Cars

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[–] gustofwind@lemmy.world 23 points 1 day ago (4 children)

Electric cars also cause significantly more tire degradation which is one of the most significant sources of airborne microplastics

[–] Nioxic@lemmy.dbzer0.com 23 points 1 day ago (3 children)

But air quality in towns with electric cars have cleaner air, whcih could reduce cancer

[–] gustofwind@lemmy.world 7 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Yeah air quality mostly increases but what doesn’t increase and actually gets worse are microplastics

We don’t measure microplastics when sources talk about air quality and pollution

[–] Nioxic@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)
[–] gustofwind@lemmy.world 3 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

Not really simple or easy

Tires are actually kind of an advanced technology and inventing an alternative that is less polluting but somehow equally durable and good at moving and stopping cars is not trivial

But yes we will need new tire material eventually or new technologies entirely like magnetic repulsion cars or whatnot

[–] pedz@lemmy.ca 14 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

Yes, cleaner air is a positive aspect and it's not insignifiant.

But cars also increase sedentarity causing higher cardiovascular disease and obesity risk for its users.

Electric cars also emit as much noise as internal combustion engines when on freeways, causing health and stress issues for poor people living near them in major cities.

And as a city dweller, I can tell you that electric cars are also noisy at low speed because of the fake engine noise they add. I live on the 7th floor and can hear some electric cars better than gas ones when my windows are open. Some sound like they are always honking at low volume.

Yes, they're better and will help getting cleaner air, but there's many other negative aspects to using cars that also can't be dismissed just because they will be electric.

[–] mrgoosmoos@lemmy.ca 3 points 1 day ago

lightweight low speed small electric cars in cities are an absolute win

heavy high speed (= more tire wear) electric cars is just more consumerist slop

[–] Tehdastehdas@piefed.social 10 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

Full-size cars, yes, but I wish we the people now stopped the fossil-lobbied lawfare against microcars.

Renault Twizy, top speed 80km/h




Kyburz Plus, top speed 30km/h

  • Gross weight ~10% of a typical electric car, so probably ~10% tyre dust too.
  • For bikeways. If the plastic surface were designed to yield in a crash, a pedestrian could be safer hit by this than by a bare biker on a bare metal bike.
  • Takes less space than a biker because a 4-wheeler can be steered more accurately than a naturally unstable bike needing wobble margins.
  • Banned in many places through lawfare: https://xfwnofqagsnmdxuf.quora.com/Lawfare-against-tiny-cars-velomobiles
[–] birdwing@lemmy.blahaj.zone 7 points 1 day ago

Less healthy than a bicyclist though, but better than a car.

[–] pedz@lemmy.ca 5 points 1 day ago (2 children)

They are marginally better than internal combustion engines and that's their only merit. If you're gonna have a car, it should be electric.

But yeah, electric cars are not only creating micro plastic pollution from tire shedding, they are also heavier and thus require more energy to move, as well as create more potholes.

Plus, they still require parking lots that worsens flooding and creates heat islands.

Worldwide, cars are also killing billions of animals every year, as well as around 2 million humans. Every 30 seconds someone dies injured by a car.

Making them electric will barely change anything.

[–] WanderingThoughts@europe.pub 8 points 1 day ago (1 children)

they are also heavier and thus require more energy to move

No, electric motors are a lot more efficient, 90%+. Internal combustion are at 30% something. So EV, while about 10% heavier, are much more energy efficient. They just carry less energy.

[–] pedz@lemmy.ca 2 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

Any more info on that? I found this but it's coming from an EV enthusiast site and I'd like other sources.

If true I'll have to retire this argument and focus only on the other half a dozen issues with cars, like using energy to move a multi ton vehicle and park it everywhere a few billion humans go.

[–] WanderingThoughts@europe.pub 10 points 1 day ago

Doing the math, an electric car uses 15 to 20 kWh/100 km.

Gasoline car uses about 7 liter/100 km. That's about 68 kWh.

That seems pretty straightforward with real-world numbers.

[–] bufalo1973@piefed.social 1 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Renault Clio I -> 900 kg

Renault Clio VI -> 1200 kg

Both gasoline.

But now the same weight increase is a problem, right?

[–] pedz@lemmy.ca 1 points 1 day ago

Yes. Fuck cars. Electric or not.