nyancatflies

nyancatflies , vor 2 Tagen

@arstechnica Japan: first time?

nyancatflies , vor 27 Tagen

@notjustbikes Is it true that most urbanists have better knowledge of cars than average regular drivers? There are so many things people are missing when they are driving, which makes me feel weird.
Your wonderful SUV-bashing video pushed me into a weird rabbit hole about what kinds of cars are in the streets and which kinds of driver behaviour are bad. Turns out there are so many mad people on the road that I was not previously aware of, some of them leaving signs in their cars that can be seen when the car is parked.
For example, I have seen more than one car with stickers on the rear windshield, or something is behind the rear windshield, mostly plushies. This indicates the driver is not using the rear view mirror. Outrageous.

nyancatflies , vor einem Monat

@notjustbikes Fact check: China has stopped new energy vehicle subsidies in 2022. Now Chinese automakers are expected to be on their own. US tariffs on Chinese cars are mostly symbolic now because there are not many cars made in China being exported to North America and most Chinese automakers are not interested in foreign markets. The only exception is BYD who is trying to break into Japan but only time can tell if they can survive there.

Speaking of BYD, they are under more and more intense scrutiny from the general public now because in the past few years, there has been a substantial increase in fires in BYD stores and all EV dealerships across China. In December 2023, there were four fires in four different cities within one month and a few days ago there was another one. Many suspect BYD's lithium-ion batteries may be the culprit. These things have made me question the whole EV boom; we cannot consume our way out and a switch away from car-centric society is the only solution.

nyancatflies , vor 2 Monaten

@notjustbikes I wonder if the US's reliance on cars is related to the country's negative view on taxation and social welfare.

When I discussed worrying trends in the EV market with another user on Mastodon, they (gender unknown) said public transport is funded by tax and maintaining it requires high tax and can increase the national debt. They argue that intercity railways and mass transit are partially responsible for Japan's national debt crisis since the government needs to inject money to keep them running well. Although railway companies like JR went private a long time ago, they still receive significant governmental subsidies. They also said the Netherlands has the same problem, which is why tax is high there.

I resisted my urge to argue with them because I had other things to do that day. But such views explain why some political views seem to have links to "carbrains". A favour towards less governmental regulation on the economy and less welfare for all is linked to car dependency.

I don't like that person's idea. You may feel a high "tax burden" is not favourable, but you can't always have a carefree life. If more welfare is needed to keep humans and everybody else sharing this planet healthy and happy, it is necessary.

nyancatflies , vor 2 Monaten

@notjustbikes @TechConnectify I love people sh*t talking Tesla. What did he say?