Editorial If California insists on keeping its car culture, it needs to do so without fossil fuels

Los Angeles Times ^ | November 1, 2017 | Times Editorial Board

[Oldeconomybuyer]

Is it possible to imagine a world without carbon-spewing gasoline-powered cars and trucks? California should join the effort and move toward banning sales of new carbon-emitting vehicles as soon as is practical. And maybe even a little sooner.

It has become clear that the free market is not working fast enough to wean us from our dependence on fossils fuels to power our cars and trucks, which account for more than 10% of man-made greenhouse gas emissions.

The national movements to end sales of gas-powered engines are in response to the Paris Agreement to limit global warming to less than 2 degrees Celsius over pre-industrial levels, a worldwide pledge that our climate-change-denying president has reneged on as a “bad deal.”

It will not be an easy, and likely not a cheap, transition. But the dangers and costs of sitting here in idle are too high to ignore. We’re already seeing the costs of larger and stronger hurricanes. Rising seas will destroy low-lying developed areas — including naval bases and ports — along the nation’s coastlines. The Trump administration can’t be counted on to do anything, but California can join the rest of the world’s progressive leaders in tackling this problem. The risks, if the world fails to take bold steps, veer into the unimaginable.

[VietVet876]

Up is down. Left is right. North is south. Otis Chandler published this paper for two decades from 1960 to 1980. Chandlers were in charge from the early 1880’s. Otis had what has been called the best American muscle car collection including 427 Cobra’s, Yenko Chevrolets, Hemi Mopars and loads more. Otis is turning over in his grave reading this fecal scribbling. When I lived in So Cal in the 60’s and 70’s, it was for the consumption of high octane gasoline in vehicles that smoke tires, cruise the freeways at double or triple the limits, and corner the desert twisties in four wheel drifts that were always a milimter or three from breakaway. Best roads in the world and best climate this side of the Riviera even in the L.A. smog basin. Haven’t been back since 1975 but I have the memories of how it used to be just about perfect.

[Red Badger]

I can see it now.........LA freeways littered with the corpses of dead drivers who perished when their batteries died in the traffic jams...................

[gubamyster]

Delingpole: Tesla Car Batteries Not Remotely Green, Study Finds

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3563011/posts

Child miners aged four living a hell on Earth so YOU can drive an electric car

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/3597685/posts

[Eric in the Ozarks]

They seem to gather on both coasts...

[Seraphicaviary]

Thus starts the future plot line predicted here... except this movie said California was free and the rest of the country was totalitarian.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082642/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_95

[clintonh8r]

Not so much electric cars per se, but autonomous vehicles (certain to be 100% electric) will absolutely be used to track and control individual movement.

[Vigilanteman]

Electric cars? So just what does the LA Times think is going to happen when all those battery powered electric cars with an average run length of 60 miles or less run out of juice in gridlocked traffic?

My wife is from LA County. We lived there in the early 1980s when you could actually get around on the freeway system reasonably if you avoided the peak travel times.

Every damn time we go back to visit now, it seems any time is peak traffic time. They have too damn many people living in too damn small of a space and seem to think they can keep importing more with few changes. San Bernardino and Riverside Counties are now what LA County was in the early 1980s.

One reason that everybody drives is that public transportation is a joke. Go to New York, Washington, Philadelphia, Boston or any other densely populated city and public transit is actually a reasonable option to get from point A to point B. Hell, even the Bay Area is far better off than LA in this category. But LA still doesn't get it.

[hanamizu]

So I assume that California is green-lighting nuclear and hydro-electric power plant construction to provide the non-carbon sourced electricity for all of these cars?

This is the same state that issued guidelines to conserve power during the (for them) partial eclipse of the sun in August.

[xzins]

Big batteries are a joke. Daughter just had to replace one at about 100k miles. 8000 bucks.

And then discovered that braming system is somehow tied to it. Another 2000 bucks.

[eyeamok]

but California can join the rest of the world’s progressive leaders in tackling this problem. The risks, if the world fails to take bold steps, veer into the unimaginable.

I AGREE!, and I hope our fearless Leaders along with the LA Times jump on board mu bold plan to save the Planet. I know they believe like I do that Leaders Should LEAD BY EXAMPLE, so I put forth the following proposition.

PEACE!

Public Employee Anti Carbon Emissions
Act

All persons that can be classified or defined as a “Public Employee” shall be guilty of a Class 1 Felony, punishable by a mandatory 10 year prison sentence and a $1,000,000 Fine, for using any means or mode of transportation to and from their respective workplace that consumes fossil fuel or emits Carbon in any way.

LEAD BY EXAMPLE, show us How.

[texas booster]

CA imports a lot of their electricity from Lake Mead, from OR and WA. Windmills are built out away from the cities that use them. Solar is still too inefficient to survive without government subsidies.

And what about the folks that live more than 20 miles from the coast? I mean, somebody needs to drive the trucks that bring in the abundance of CA agriculture into the city, such as fruits, vegetables and pot.

Well, maybe the pot, since everything else is banned from using water to grow food.

[Elsie]

... it needs to do so without fossil fuels.

Yeah...

OK...

Sure...

[Elsie]

...or your life.

TERRORist kills 8 in NYC yesterday!!!

CHOICE kills about 3,300 in USA yesterday.

[Elsie]

...used to track and control individual movement.

The license plate reading devices along the highways can do this NOW!

[Elsie]

And then discovered that braming system is somehow tied to it.

HUH?

[dead]

If they can set up a system where illegal immigrants push their cars around in exchange for fruit and health care, they will be in perfect harmony, like a film director with a 12 year old.

[Bob434]

if california is going to keep it’s electricity culture to recharge car batteries, they need to do so without fossil fuels=-

We’ll see how long their economy lasts when people can’t get to work-

[vmpolesov]

Haha that’s really funny!

[clintonh8r]

The current technology is pretty clunky compared with a “transportation module” constantly transmitting its location, direction of travel, speed, destination, etc.

[Charles Martel]

Talk it up, talk it up; Hugger gonna shame you down
Talk it up, talk it up; Hugger gonna shame you down

It happened at the Starbucks at a quarter past nine
Two aging hipsters yelling side by side
Yeah, a Toyota Prius Hybrid and a Volt 14*
Were arguing carbon footprint and it got real green

Talk it up, talk it up; Hugger gonna shame you down

We start off at the co-op with a gallon apiece
My Voltec driving platform is now unleashed
My lithium ion batteries are humming cool
But the Toyota Prius hybrid's yet to burn it's fuel

Gotta keep cool now, gas tank shift here we go

Power split Prius is moving slow
But my lithium ion voltage is running low
To up the wattage, I'm burning gas
Fuel tank's nearing empty, don't know if I'll last

Pedal to the floor, hear the 1.4 go
And now the Toyota Prius is starting to slow
He's hauled with Atkin' cycle, but it's understood
I got eighty cubic inches drinkin' under the hood

Burned your gas, burned your gas; Hugger, now I shame you down
Burned your gas, burned your gas; Hugger, now I shame you down
Burned your gas, burned your gas, Hugger, now I shame you down
Burned your gas, burned your gas; Hugger, now i shame you down

********

Dang. Clever parody, but *so* depressing.

I need to watch this, maybe it'll cheer me up.