Date:         Thu, 19 Jul 2007 23:47:49 -0400
Reply-To:     Kim Brennan <kimbrennan@MAC.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Kim Brennan <kimbrennan@MAC.COM>
Subject:      Re: Smart Car..Wow.. NVC
In-Reply-To:  <013301c7ca62$5bc8cac0$0401a8c0@cspfr2>
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In 30 minutes it will be Friday, so I figure I'll comment on BJ's
anti Smart Car rant.

The SmartCar is fashionable in europe, where streets are narrow,
countries are relatively small, gasoline is super expensive and most
folks can use public transportation for commuting to work.

The USA has urban sprawl. Even Canada is closer to the European model
than the US. In the US, housing in cities is  (pick one) expensive,
crime ridden, too old, too small. So the typical dream is for folks
to buy a newly built house some place in the suburbs. Except as the
suburbs get built up, the prices get too expensive and folks move
even further away from the city center.

In the Washington DC suburbs, housing is too expensive for teachers
and police, so they have to commute from even further away. It is not
uncommon for folks to spend 2 hours (one way) commuting. Commuting to
jobs in the SUBURBS, not even to jobs in the city.

As with many other forms of evolution, if there is plenty of room,
the animals (cars) get bigger. Bigger animals (cars) have inherent
advantages over smaller animals (cars). One of those is safety.
Predators (car accidents) are less likely to affect (injure/kill) the
biggest animals, unless they are sick (broken down). The
disadvantages don't become apparent until resources start getting
scarce. When food (fuel) becomes scarce, the huge bulk of these
animals becomes a liability compared to smaller animals. When the
territory becomes cramped, the larger animals find they can't
maneuver (park) as easily as the smaller animals. If there is a mass
extinction, the smaller ones are more likely to survive.

Sometime in the future, a mass extinction event will happen in the
automobile world. Its trigger will be the lack of gasoline. Older
cars dependant on gas will be orphaned. Some may be able to adapt and
live on with alternatives (alcohol, diesel). The new breed (electric)
will dominate, possibly. Or maybe we'll revert to horses.