Mozilla’s latest edition of *Privacy Not Included reveals how 25 major car brands collect and share deeply personal data, including sexual activity, facial expressions, and genetic and health information.
It sort of has something to do with EVs, in that it’s hard to find EVs made before this was standard, so if you’re looking for cars without it it’s hard to find one that doesn’t have an ICE engine.
(Where cars aren’t avoidable, I do prefer they be electric, as, I’m sure, do many, but the privacy concerns are apparently very real.)
(Edit: hydrogen cars are indeed very neat and more environmentally friendly than electric cars, and in the most ideal scenario what unavoidable car/truck/van usage there was would be hydrogen-powered. It is not AFAIK practical for the average consumer at this time and requires substantial infrastructure updates which the individual consumer can’t really do much about beyond lobbying reps, so when it comes down to an individual who does need a car weighing what kind of vehicle to buy, I think it is fair to say that electric cars are better than ICE for the environment but, due to being newer, have more privacy concerns than old ICE vehicles. Neither is as good on either criterion as being able to just go car-free, of course.)
If it makes you feel better, EVs aren’t a real solution to the problems we
face anyways, public transport was always the solution and EVs was a way to get consumers to keep focusing on individualism and consumerism to solve societal problems.
Edit: So many replies falling over themselves about how EVs are a good “baby step”. They’re not. Hydrogen fuel cells is a good baby step. EVs are still extremely extractivist. Lithium batteries are very bad, environmentally speaking. Hydrogen is significantly cleaner. It is avoided because it would require unprofitable infrastructure to be rolled out to support hydrogen vehicles.
I am 100% in favor of density, non-car-centric urban development, active mobility and rock-solid public transit – I am on this community for a reason, after all, and I further do not drive. But I acknowledge that there are some cases where cars are important for trade work, hauling, etc., as well as where buses are the better option for transit, and in those cases I believe that the vehicle should be electrified. It may only be like 5% of the solution, but it’s a part of the solution nevertheless.
I generally prefer trams and light rail to buses, but buses do offer a lot of flexibility that can be useful in any transit system. I do think that right now they’re often not given appropriate priority and used for routes that should be run by trams or light rail though.
Rural places and bigots will still need or want personal cars. Some things like a trades work van or delivery service will still need a car/truck. These might as well be developed as electric. EVs are not the solution to our transportation and environmental issues but they are part of it.
EVs aren’t the perfect solution. But they’re less bad than ICE vehicles, and are a good interim measure unless/until public transport becomes more viable.
Don’t let the best get in the way of the good enough for now. It’s OK to be in favor of two things.
Cars will always be the best choice for many many trips for many many kinds of people. Cities are most efficient but not everyone can be in one, and public transit doesn’t work in farmland. We need both. EVs is a way to reduce the use of fossil fuels in transportation. We don’t have time to wait to densify every city and build out good transit networks, that will take decades. EVs have real benefits today. It just sucks modern cars are nightmares.
It sort of has something to do with EVs, in that it’s hard to find EVs made before this was standard, so if you’re looking for cars without it it’s hard to find one that doesn’t have an ICE engine.
(Where cars aren’t avoidable, I do prefer they be electric, as, I’m sure, do many, but the privacy concerns are apparently very real.)
(Edit: hydrogen cars are indeed very neat and more environmentally friendly than electric cars, and in the most ideal scenario what unavoidable car/truck/van usage there was would be hydrogen-powered. It is not AFAIK practical for the average consumer at this time and requires substantial infrastructure updates which the individual consumer can’t really do much about beyond lobbying reps, so when it comes down to an individual who does need a car weighing what kind of vehicle to buy, I think it is fair to say that electric cars are better than ICE for the environment but, due to being newer, have more privacy concerns than old ICE vehicles. Neither is as good on either criterion as being able to just go car-free, of course.)
If it makes you feel better, EVs aren’t a real solution to the problems we face anyways, public transport was always the solution and EVs was a way to get consumers to keep focusing on individualism and consumerism to solve societal problems.
Edit: So many replies falling over themselves about how EVs are a good “baby step”. They’re not. Hydrogen fuel cells is a good baby step. EVs are still extremely extractivist. Lithium batteries are very bad, environmentally speaking. Hydrogen is significantly cleaner. It is avoided because it would require unprofitable infrastructure to be rolled out to support hydrogen vehicles.
I am 100% in favor of density, non-car-centric urban development, active mobility and rock-solid public transit – I am on this community for a reason, after all, and I further do not drive. But I acknowledge that there are some cases where cars are important for trade work, hauling, etc., as well as where buses are the better option for transit, and in those cases I believe that the vehicle should be electrified. It may only be like 5% of the solution, but it’s a part of the solution nevertheless.
More of a tram person instead of buses for transit due to how much more comfortable of a ride it is. Everything else I fully agree with though
Open Source Electric vehicles here we come!
I generally prefer trams and light rail to buses, but buses do offer a lot of flexibility that can be useful in any transit system. I do think that right now they’re often not given appropriate priority and used for routes that should be run by trams or light rail though.
Rural places and bigots will still need or want personal cars. Some things like a trades work van or delivery service will still need a car/truck. These might as well be developed as electric. EVs are not the solution to our transportation and environmental issues but they are part of it.
EVs aren’t the perfect solution. But they’re less bad than ICE vehicles, and are a good interim measure unless/until public transport becomes more viable.
Don’t let the best get in the way of the good enough for now. It’s OK to be in favor of two things.
Cars will always be the best choice for many many trips for many many kinds of people. Cities are most efficient but not everyone can be in one, and public transit doesn’t work in farmland. We need both. EVs is a way to reduce the use of fossil fuels in transportation. We don’t have time to wait to densify every city and build out good transit networks, that will take decades. EVs have real benefits today. It just sucks modern cars are nightmares.
Guess who drives the most in total.
And guess how much it can be reduced with good public transport.