• grue@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    61
    arrow-down
    2
    ·
    1 year ago

    The EVs the government really ought to be subsidizing are electric bicycles, not cars.

    • gronjo45@lemm.ee
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      9
      ·
      1 year ago

      Right? I wish more people would consider the product life cycle analysis of what they want to purchase. Virtue signaling doesn’t help, and nor does more scrap ending up in a landfill at the end of the cradle to grave trip.

      I’d love an E bike! It would be great to take the train into the city for me and use it to get around. I haven’t been able to afford insurance and still don’t have a driver’s license. It’d save me a killing and allow me to actually save my money than have it guzzled up by gas, car maintenance, and overall way less hassle for me. I’d rather not have to worry about features eventually getting pay walled by the shitfotainment system…

  • x4740N@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    46
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    edit-2
    1 year ago

    Is this ai generated ? or is it just poorly photoshoped because there’s a lot of texture detail missing from the image

    Edit: it also looks like someone told it to make Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and it created a Asian-European version of her because the face seems to similar

  • s_s@lemm.ee
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    60
    arrow-down
    16
    ·
    1 year ago

    Electric cars are still a 3 ton object you’ll needlessly try to dispose of in 5 years.

    Electric cars are here to save the car companies, not the environment.

  • dangblingus@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    35
    arrow-down
    5
    ·
    edit-2
    1 year ago

    Not only does pink girl have 5 knuckles where one would expect to find only 4, but she’s also somehow in the drivers seat at the same time as Glasses. And she’s wearing her backpack while also seated.

    Man, AI sucks.

    • scottywh@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      13
      arrow-down
      2
      ·
      1 year ago

      90+% of the AI generated content is just straight garbage.

      I don’t get why people are so obsessed with it to be honest.

      • Blue and Orange@lemm.ee
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        6
        arrow-down
        3
        ·
        1 year ago

        I got AI to generate an image very similar to a piece of digital artwork I did, based on a description. In the space of 10 or so seconds, it created something that looks much better than the piece that took me like 4 hours to do. And I think it really captured the mood and spirit of what I originally made.

        I think AI can generate some really excellent pieces, sometimes it just takes a few regenerations and changes to your description prompt. Although it’s not perfect, it’s become pretty amazing IMO.

    • ChronosWing@lemmy.zip
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      4
      arrow-down
      2
      ·
      1 year ago

      Give it time, soon you won’t be able to tell the difference and that is honestly the scary part.

  • pedz@lemmy.ca
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    32
    arrow-down
    4
    ·
    1 year ago

    I don’t drive a car, so where’s my money for saving the planet? Where are my rebates for shoes and bikes?

    Subsidizing the car industry is indeed dumb. I don’t think it’s hurting the economy though, as the goal is to continue to sell and replace millions of cars. Still, the infrastructure for cars is probably costing us much more on the long term though. Maintenance of expressways, space for parkings, and other infra for cars costs billions.

    Just replacing a single expressway interchange in my city cost 4.3 billion! For ONE interchange.

    So again, where are the rebates for people taking public transit? Where are the investments in public transit? Why is it only on the condition of BUYING A CAR?

    • Rehwyn@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      17
      ·
      edit-2
      1 year ago

      Worth noting that the recent Infrastructure bill passed under Biden includes $108 billion for public transportation (Link). This is much larger than the $7.5B set aside for electric vehicles.

      As much as I despise our car-centric infrastructure, climate change is a large enough threat that we should seriously consider and pursue multiple avenues of decreasing our emissions as fast as possible. Fully transitioning away from auto-dominant transportation in the US is, frankly, not realistic in a timely manner with the public support and resources available. Not only will transportation infrastructure need changing, but even the design of our cities. So while we should pursue broader public transportation, we should also pursue other initiatives with high likelihood of broad acceptance and rapid implementation. Electric vehicles seems to be one such initiative.

    • BingoBangoBongo@midwest.social
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      4
      ·
      1 year ago

      REI is leading an initiative to give tax incentives for electric bikes. Seems like they are the main voice behind it though and I don’t dare to hope.

    • Roboticide@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      3
      arrow-down
      2
      ·
      1 year ago

      There are absolutely incentives - tax credits and rebates - for buying electric bikes in some areas. My state is offering $500 off any ebike purchase.

      The auto industry is not being subsidized by consumer incentives. The auto industry is being subsidized by tax credits whenever they build a new facility, which is still arguably dumb. Consumer incentives are designed to get the average citizen to buy an EV over an ICE vehicle. The consumer is gonna buy a car anyway - someone in the market for a car isn’t going to buy a bike, even an ebike, based off of price. They’re buying a mode of transportation based off of lifestyle. Many simply can’t commute to work via bike or public transportation, and if a credit gets them to buy an EV over an ICE vehicle, this is a net benefit.

      The solution to public transportation is not to attempt to disincentivize or punish car drivers, then build mass transit. Gotta build the mass transit first. The financial incentives for people taking mass transit are the fact that the most expensive mass transit in the US costs ~$1,500/year. The cost of owning an operating the average car in the US is ~$10,700/year. Yes, build more mass transit to free us from being slaved to expensive automobiles! But until then, preventing incentives for greener vehicles that would be purchased by those who have no choice is just shooting yourself in the foot.

  • NotSoCoolWhip@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    14
    ·
    1 year ago

    I bought a 2002 Honda insight. One of the first hybrids, except the electric motor went out, so it’s all gas now. Still got slapped with an extra $150 so called “hybrid tax” so the state can subsidize a lower usage of gas that they would have received tax on. Literally incentivizes gasoline vehicles. What the fuck?

      • AngryCommieKender@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        2
        ·
        1 year ago

        My first one was $400, and still works just fine, I just left it in another state. The one I have now was $1200. Admittedly I got the first one for a steal in 2018, and prices have more than doubled since then.

        $2500 gets you the top of the line, not just a good E-bike.

  • mommykink@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    10
    arrow-down
    10
    ·
    edit-2
    1 year ago

    strawman

    Also, the government didn’t “give” you $7500 “because it’s electric.” You got a tax rebate because of the bargaining of the UAW.