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Page added on March 30, 2018

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Kunstler: Not So Happy Motoring

Consumption

It hasn’t been a great month for America’s electric car fantasy. Elon Musk’s Tesla company — the symbolic beating heart of the fantasy — is whirling around the drain with its share price plummeting 22 percent, its bonds downgraded by Moody’s to junk status, a failure to produce its “affordable” ($36,000 — Ha!) Model 3 at commercial scale, a massive recall of earlier S Model sedans for a steering defect, and the spectacular fiery crash in Silicon Valley last week of an X model that may have been operating in automatic mode (the authorities can’t determine that based on what’s left), and which killed the driver.

Oh, and an experimental self-driving Uber car (Volvo brand) ran over and killed a lady crossing the street with her bicycle in Tempe, Arizona, two weeks ago. Don’t blame Elon for that.

There’s a lot to like about electric cars, of course, if, say, you’re a Google executive floating through life in a techno-narcissism bubble, or a Hollywood actor with wooly grandiose notions of saving the planet while simultaneously signaling your wealth and your “green” virtue cred. Teslas supposedly handle beautifully, ride very quietly, have great low-end power, and decent range of over 200 miles. The engine has something like twenty moving parts, is very long-lasting, and is easy to repair or change out if necessary.

Are they actually “green and clean?” Bwaahaaaaa….! Are you kidding? First, there’s the energy embedded in producing the car: mining and smelting the ores, manufacturing the plastics, running the assembly line, etc. That embedded energy amounts to about 22 percent of the energy consumed by the car over a ten-year lifetime. Then there’s the cost of actually powering the car day-by-day. The electricity around the USA is produced mostly by burning coal, natural gas, or by nuclear fission, all of which produce harmful emissions or byproducts. But the illusion that the power just comes out of a plug in the wall (for just pennies a day!) is a powerful one for the credulous public. The cherry-on-top is the fantasy that before much longer all that electric power will come from “renewables,” solar and wind, and we can leave the whole fossil fuel mess behind us. We say that to ourselves as a sort of prayer, and it has exactly that value.

There are at least a couple of other holes in story, big-picture wise. One is that electric mass motoring — switching out the whole liquid fuel fleet for an all-electric fleet — won’t pencil out economically. We probably started the project forty years too late to even be able to test it at scale, because economic events are now moving so quickly in the direction of global austerity that the putative middle-class customer base for electric cars will barely exist in the near future. Americans especially nowadays are so financially stressed that they can’t qualify for car loans — and that is mainly how cars are bought in this land. The industry has strained mightily to bend the rules so that these days it’s even possible to get a seven-year loan for a used car whose collateral value will dissipate long before the loan is paid back. Hard to see how they can take that much further.

The usual answer for that is that you won’t need to own a car because the nation will be served by self-driving electric Uber-style cars-on-demand, which will supposedly require far fewer cars in all. That really doesn’t answer some big questions, such as: how might commuting work in our big metroplex cities? Even if you posit multiple occupancy vehicles, it still represents a whole lot of car trips. Oh, you say, everybody will just work from home. Really? I don’t think so — though I wouldn’t rule out an end to corporate organization of work as we’ve known it, and if that happens, we will be a nation of farmers and artisans again, that is, a World Made By Hand. Also consider, if the car companies only need to make and sell a fraction of the vehicles they sell now, the whole industry will collapse.

Another hole in the story is the universal assumption that the USA must remain a land of mandatory car dependency, hostage to the fiasco of our suburban infrastructure. I understand why we’re attached to it. We spent most of the 20th century building all that shit, and squandered most our wealth on it. It’s comfortably familiar, even if it’s actually a miserable environment for everyday life. But none of those monetary and psychological investments negate the fact that suburbia has outlived its limited and rather perverse usefulness.

We’re so far from having any intelligent public debate about these issues that the events now spooling out will completely blindside the nation.

Kunstler



287 Comments on "Kunstler: Not So Happy Motoring"

  1. Cloggie on Sun, 1st Apr 2018 3:46 pm 

    “Nazi, are you trying to charm me with that dry dutchy humor?”

    Uh no, I’m using you as my private playthingy and NWO-charicature and usuful idiot to illustrate the easy to refute historic lies of that empire of yours, in state of dissolution, Soviet-style.

    But nothing that should worry you, Batman.

  2. GregT on Sun, 1st Apr 2018 3:48 pm 

    As long as you continue to personally attack everyone, I will continue to call you out Davy.

  3. Davy on Sun, 1st Apr 2018 3:50 pm 

    nedernazi, speak normally, you talk like a dork. We need intelligent people here not gutter dwellers.

  4. GregT on Sun, 1st Apr 2018 3:54 pm 

    “We need intelligent people here not gutter dwellers.”

    Cloggie is magnitudes above you in the intelligence department Davy.

  5. Davy on Sun, 1st Apr 2018 3:55 pm 

    greggie, STFU, stupid ugly Canadian. You are here to stalk and prick Americans. Just try for once today to say something and contribute. People get so tired of your stalking and pricking sessions except your buddies nedernazi and billy 3rd world. They love your support and enabling. You do realize when you support ugly people you look ugly. In the case of the nedernazi you are acknowledging you are a closet Nazi. In the case of Billy 3rd world you are acknowledging you want the violent and painful end to the US. Blood and filth is on your hands greggie.

  6. Davy on Sun, 1st Apr 2018 3:56 pm 

    neder nazi is your buddy greggie, what kind of stupid answer is that? You are a stupid Canadian if you think I care about you supporting the home team.

  7. GregT on Sun, 1st Apr 2018 4:15 pm 

    There is no ‘home team’ Davy, that would simply be another part of your twisted little delusional make believe world.

  8. GregT on Sun, 1st Apr 2018 4:16 pm 

    “You are here to stalk and prick Americans.”

    I could care less what tax farm you were born into. It makes zero difference to me.

  9. Davy on Sun, 1st Apr 2018 4:25 pm 

    greggie, you are an ultra nationalistic anti-American ugly Canadian tax farm asswipe. You have your little home team of miscreants and you boys support and enable each other. That is plain to see except of course with yourself. You want to help these grotesques but somehow you feel their stench will not rub off on you. You are stinkie greggie.

  10. GregT on Sun, 1st Apr 2018 4:29 pm 

    There is one person on this site who is constantly in conflict with others Davy.

    That person would be you.

  11. Davy on Sun, 1st Apr 2018 4:49 pm 

    Greggie, there is one person who stalk and pricks from sun up to sun down and that is you. IMA, the only one I am in conflict with is gutter dwellers like you and your team. Can you say something greggie or is stalking and pricking all that is in you? You have said nothing at all today. Soon billy 3rd world will wake up and you guys can join with the Nazi and raise all kinds of anti-American hell. I go to bed early. I clean the board up in the morning.

  12. GregT on Sun, 1st Apr 2018 4:56 pm 

    You do not clean up the board Davy, there is no team, and I am not anti-American.

    You are in dire need of psychological help buddy, but it is likely already far too late for that now.

  13. Davy on Sun, 1st Apr 2018 5:13 pm 

    I clean up the anti-American puke from the night before. You are the head cheese ugly anti-American.

    You are supposed to be in therapy but I am thinking you are lying to the wife when she goes of to work to support you. You don’t go to therapy anymore do you greggie, buddy?

  14. Anonymouse1 on Sun, 1st Apr 2018 5:18 pm 

    RoFL! What a headcase.

  15. Davy on Sun, 1st Apr 2018 5:23 pm 

    The other Canadian butt cheese joins the fray. The weasel represent the future of Canada as a millenial waste case. I don’t think Canada has much of a future with dumbass young people like the weasel gearing up to take over.

  16. GregT on Sun, 1st Apr 2018 5:26 pm 

    “You don’t go to therapy anymore do you greggie, buddy?”

    The only therapist that I’ve ever seen, was a physiotherapist for sports related injuries. And no, I don’t go anymore. I’m feeling great these days. Thanks for asking though buddy.

  17. GregT on Sun, 1st Apr 2018 5:27 pm 

    “RoFL! What a headcase.”

    He is a rather interesting character.

  18. GregT on Sun, 1st Apr 2018 5:36 pm 

    “I don’t think Canada has much of a future with dumbass young people like the weasel gearing up to take over.”

    You don’t think Davy. You’re far too emotionally driven. You’re just like a woman with PMS.

  19. Davy on Sun, 1st Apr 2018 5:37 pm 

    This must be the other greggie maybe when you drink or drug.

    GregT on Thu, 23rd Nov 2017 3:47 am

    http://www.internationalman.com//articles/the-cardinal-sin-of-international-finance
    Good find Davy. I spoke with my psychiatrist, and she says that you rock. You are my new hero Davy. I don’t normally do gay sex, but she says that it would be worth it.
    Would you mind sucking my cock before I fuck you up the ass? Honey.

  20. Davy on Sun, 1st Apr 2018 5:39 pm 

    talk about emotional you were really revved up on 23rd Nov at 3:47. What was it greggie drugs, drinking, or both? BTW, I am not interested, LOL.

  21. Anonymouse1 on Sun, 1st Apr 2018 5:41 pm 

    I thought you were going to bed exceptionalist. I’ve suspected for some time you don’t even sleep anymore, but prefer spend the bulk of your non-goat related time, furiously mashing the refresh button on your browser. And after that? You just get furious.

  22. GregT on Sun, 1st Apr 2018 5:47 pm 

    “What was it greggie drugs, drinking, or both? ”

    Like I’ve already told you Davy. Just toying with you buttercup, I love it when you get all hot and bothered. It’s hilarious.

  23. Davy on Sun, 1st Apr 2018 5:47 pm 

    weasel, you here to help your battered buddy? He is flipping out. I am impressed with you stupid Canadians how you stick together. This is not the first time I seen you dumbasses join together when an American puts his thumb on you. Thankfully, the amount of ugly Canadians here has dropped significantly. It is just you two holdouts. Weasel, shouldn’t you be studying Engineering or something since it has been a struggle?

  24. Davy on Sun, 1st Apr 2018 5:49 pm 

    sure you were greggie. Was your dick in your hand while you were topying with me. LMFAO

  25. GregT on Sun, 1st Apr 2018 5:57 pm 

    ” Was your dick in your hand while you were topying with me.”

    Sure, if that helps you with your fantasy.

  26. Antius on Sun, 1st Apr 2018 6:45 pm 

    The bitching on this board is pointless. Just endless, circular arguments that no one will ever read or care about. Why do you do it? We are approaching the end of days. What is happening here is a microcosm of what is taking place in the outside world, as the insane Marxist parasites of the west turn on the Russians and anyone else that dares not agree with them. It is sad, yet predictable. Like a bunch of cats in a bag.

  27. GregT on Sun, 1st Apr 2018 6:56 pm 

    “as the insane Marxist parasites of the west turn on the Russians and anyone else that dares not agree with them. ”

    Davy is in support of those parasites, or quite possibly one of them. That’s the main reason for all of the bitching.

  28. onlooker on Sun, 1st Apr 2018 7:05 pm 

    Antius, this is NOT a board for solutions just endless quarrels as people stake out their position. Wow you hit the nail on the head, a microcosm of the world at large.

  29. MASTERMIND on Sun, 1st Apr 2018 7:15 pm 

    pp

  30. MASTERMIND on Sun, 1st Apr 2018 7:15 pm 

    This is how they brainwash us

    Sinclair’s script for stations

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWLjYJ4BzvI&feature=youtu.be

  31. MASTERMIND on Sun, 1st Apr 2018 7:23 pm 

    Antius

    You are totally right. I was just about to say the exact same thing. Except for the Marxist nonsense. That doesn’t make any sense at all. The collapse is not just a collapse of the environment and the economy, its the collapse of the state of mind of every human living on it.

  32. MASTERMIND on Sun, 1st Apr 2018 7:24 pm 

    Hey Boat

    Salute the flag!
    http://i.imgur.com/KC4m1zp.gifv

    I know how you people down south love your flag! LOL

  33. fmr-paultard on Sun, 1st Apr 2018 8:05 pm 

    Dearest Supertard DAVY:

    I beseech thee to study your bible. When you refused to attend bible study as a pre-pubescent you should have been beaten within a hair of your life for this explains ur constant pricking and fascination with brief cornholings and/or brisk cornhuskings. This also explains the obvious deterioration in your mental faculties. If ur not careful, the guys in white smocks with butterfly nets will transport you to a facility for the mentally insane.

    Don’t say u were not warned.

  34. Boat on Sun, 1st Apr 2018 9:04 pm 

    Mm

    I like t-shirts when my teams kick ass. PS.. Nice flag, is that you in the background? Hope you shoot a gun better than you drive.

  35. Boat on Sun, 1st Apr 2018 9:05 pm 

    Paultard

    I was a preacher kid. Whadda ya want to know.

  36. MASTERMIND on Sun, 1st Apr 2018 9:07 pm 

    A global energy assessment (Jefferson 2015)

    An extensive new scientific analysis conducted by the Former Chief Economist Michael Jefferson at Royal Dutch Shell published in Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews titled “A Global Energy Assessment 2016” : says “that proved conventional oil reserves as detailed in oil industry sources are likely “overstated” by half.” & “Punt bluntly, the standard claim that the world has “proved” conventional oil reserves of nearly 1.7 trillion barrels is overstated by about 876 billion barrels. Thus, despite the fall in crude oil prices from a peak in June 2014, after that of July 2008, the “peak oil” issue remains with us.”.

    http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/wene.179/pdf
    https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/50-Of-Proved-Oil-Reserves-May-Have-Just-Vanished.html

  37. MASTERMIND on Sun, 1st Apr 2018 9:08 pm 

    “If heaven is such wonderful place, then how is getting crucified such a big fucking sacrifice?”

  38. Boat on Sun, 1st Apr 2018 9:18 pm 

    Mm

    Try a leap in faith and get crucified. Report back please.

  39. Boat on Sun, 1st Apr 2018 9:21 pm 

    Mm

    That link is so old cobwebs kept me from opening it.

  40. fmr-paultard on Sun, 1st Apr 2018 9:21 pm 

    supertards, that is not me. it’s the troll eurotard masquerading as me. just want to let you know before unleash a blistering attack on poor ole former paultard. i told you the religion for worshipping supertards do not attack people randomly. we want you to have multiple keltec 2000 auto with 5000 rounds.

    beseech? seriously? that’s no part of my vocabulary

    cornhole/cornhusk? not much into that either.

  41. fmr-paultard on Sun, 1st Apr 2018 9:34 pm 

    today supremetard raised from the dead and bought our sins. we are liberated. we thank our kind supremetard to forgive us our sins. this is not an act of inequality. it is a proposition that forgiveness is better than punishment.

    We thank supremetard and appreciate luke 22:36, amen

  42. fmr-paultard on Sun, 1st Apr 2018 9:37 pm 

    ^mm^ please don’t grab luke 22:36 bro.
    In eurotardland you can go to jail for facebook posts.

    That’s what happen when they don’t have luke 22:36

  43. MASTERMIND on Sun, 1st Apr 2018 9:41 pm 

    Boat

    Three years old is to old now? You are grasping at straws for any reason to deny scientific evidence…Oh well you will die a horrific and terrifying death soon enough.

  44. MASTERMIND on Sun, 1st Apr 2018 9:42 pm 

    The very powerful and the very stupid have one thing in common. They don’t alter their views to fit the facts. They alter the facts to fit their views.

    – Dr Who

  45. MASTERMIND on Sun, 1st Apr 2018 9:43 pm 

    “I found no one ripe for many of my thoughts. One can speak with the utmost clarity, and yet not be heard by anyone.”

    –Friedrich Nietzsche

  46. MASTERMIND on Sun, 1st Apr 2018 9:48 pm 

    They know the oil is going to be running out in a few years worldwide. I hate to be the one to say it but a major nuclear war to depopulate would make a lot of sense..

    https://www.forbes.com/sites/rrapier/2018/03/23/is-the-world-sleepwalking-into-an-oil-crisis/#3dd6e74344cf
    https://outrider.org/nuclear-weapons/interactive/bomb-blast

    Boat there you go my friend. An article written last week. Is that fresh enough to meet your almighty standards? It even quotes the former head of the EIA..Your favorite US government organization..

  47. MASTERMIND on Sun, 1st Apr 2018 9:51 pm 

    Our entire civilization is made up of an interconnected network of interdependencies that create feedback loops that are nearly impossible for the average person to understand.
    http://www.feasta.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Trade-Off1.pdf

  48. GregT on Sun, 1st Apr 2018 9:57 pm 

    Boat,

    “I like t-shirts when my teams kick ass.”

    Which teams do you own Kevin?

  49. MASTERMIND on Sun, 1st Apr 2018 10:00 pm 

    Tesla Model 3 Costs More To Charge Than A Gasoline Car

    the Model 3 also costs twice as much, and you have to assign an approximate $1,000 per year to battery depreciation, alone more than driving on gasoline for a year.

    https://seekingalpha.com/article/4160351-tesla-model-3-costs-charge-gasoline-car

  50. Boat on Sun, 1st Apr 2018 10:15 pm 

    I support that new owner of the rockets who spent 2 billion for the team. How about those world series champs the Astros.

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