this post was submitted on 29 Aug 2023
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Rivian CEO issues strong statement about people who purchase gas-powered cars: ‘Sort of like building a horse barn in 1910’::"I don't think I would have believed it."

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[–] SCB@lemmy.world 6 points 1 year ago (1 children)

still use plenty of fossil fuels from coal plants

This is disingenuous as fuck and you know it. Updates to the grid are by far the most effective means of limiting carbon release. Tying engines to the grid maximizes gains in solar, wind, etc that not doing so does not.

There is no serious plan for climate change mitigation that does not involve EVs.

[–] Pohl@lemmy.world 0 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Not disingenuous. True. Grid power is still dirty so electric cars are still dirty. Probably about a 50% improvement in carbon emissions based on the most common fuel mix in the US for an e car.

Clean transportation by car is a luxury that we do not yet have.

[–] SCB@lemmy.world 0 points 1 year ago (1 children)

You don't engineer for what you currently have. You engineer for where you want to be.

Renewable energy is the fastest growing segment of the energy market by a mile, growing exponentially.

I don't have my numbers at hand, but renewables account for something like 80+% of new energy growth in the US.

[–] Pohl@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Yes. The OP is about how TODAY it is silly to use ICE. Today it is silly to pretend that electric cars are clean. They will be at some point. At that point, I will agree with the obnoxious CEO from the article. Today, he is wrong, very heavy (7-8k lbs) coal powered trucks are not clean.

Make them smaller!

[–] SCB@lemmy.world -1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Purchasing EVs sends price signals. Big trucks are in demand, and it's easier to cater to demand than shape demand when you're an emerging market.

[–] Pohl@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago

Seriously the epa doesn’t even bother to rate mpg in vehicles that approach rivian weight. An f250 probably gets a combined 15mpg. It weights 6k lbs vs the rivians 7k. if your only seeing a 50% cut in emissions with the switch to electric. A rivian truck is pretty much the same as an ICE car that gets around 30 combined.

There are a million reasons that drive them to make these monsters. But the climate isn’t one. I don’t care about the market forces. I care about cutting CO2 emissions. These vehicles do not help that mission today. The CEO is wrong. His vehicles don’t make sense TODAY except as a luxury product for rich people to signal their virtue. That’s it.