We Talk Friday
(WTF)
This is a semi-regular series that I will run on Fridays to hold discussions on a current topic from the week gone. The aim is to keep them light and conversational, though some might be heavier - regardless of the content topic itself though, just have some fun engaging and discussing with whoever happens to put in the effort in the comments section below.
We Talk Friday Ep. 25: Fire and Ice
There was a fire in an underground carpark here the other day, caused by a hybrid car whilst it was charging. The only reason I mention it is I have many friends who work in the building and several of them had their cars destroyed by the intense fire and heat caused by the battery. Before it had made the news, one of my friends had sent me some images he was sent of what was going on (he was working from home) and the piles of smoke billowing out of the vents.
Does that count toward emissions of EVs?
A little later, he sent me another image from a colleague with a Tesla showing that the internal temperature was 98°C (208°F) at the time, and a little later, well... No more readings came in. Dozens of cars were destroyed in the fire and of course, they will have to check the structural integrity of the building, which only opened a couple years ago.
My friend who sent the pictures drives a Full-EV, and he is now contemplating changing back to a combustion only vehicle, even test driving a couple today already. However, while he has cooled on his EV because of this, I think it is more about him always having car fever and spending way, way too much on vehicle changeovers. And, since he invested into an expensive set of solar panels on his house, which is one of the reasons he went full-EV to begin with, it makes little sense to change back now.
He drives a very nice SUV.
What comes to mind with this though, is how fast our opinions can change these days on even large topics that will make significant impacts on our life, and financial wellbeing. As a species, we seem to be far more flaky than we were earlier, where we have moved heavily away from being committed to anything at all. And as far as I can see, this has made us far more consumptive also, which means that a great deal of potential investment wealth from the masses, is transferred as consumption to the already wealthy.
Everything is disposable.
We are so easy to flip in opinion and we will make decisions rapidly, and rather thoughtlessly. There is very little "thinking slow" in our global culture now, very little deliberation and consideration - it is think little, act fast, come what may. Yet when what comes is a negative result, we also don't take responsibility for it, and instead look to lay blame on someone or something else.
It is to our own detriment.
But, someone is benefitting. All this changeover, all this buy and throw away, all this fast thinking on what requires slow - is costing all of us and it is making gains for the few. The corporations, the politicians, the incredibly wealthy - they all benefit from our lack of thought, and bank on us running from hot to cold quickly, so they can drown us in contradiction, polarization, and debt.
Taraz
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The educational system doesn't even teach the average student to think, to begin with. And few learn the art of critical thinking after school, except few who go into entrepreneurship or any leadership position. Another reason is that people do not really consider the gravity of the situations before making decisions about them. They are like: "whatever comes of my decision I can handle it." And most times they can't.
About the EV incident, I would love to know the EV brand. Doesn't seem like a Tesla. I think what your friend may be looking for is a reliable EV brand and not to change back to PMS vehicles. His choice, though.
People do the same in politics, making their decision on one or two lines that resonate with them, ignoring all the rest that don't. Or voting for brexit, and then googling after what it means,
They haven't mentioned which brand, but I have heard it was an Audi Hybrid. My friend drives an Audi full EV.
It would be good to know whether there are regulations addressing those risks such as intense heat from the battery and fire.
I am not sure the regulations cover it, however it is a massive problem as one battery going up can make an enormously hot fire. I have heard that solid state batteries that will arrive in a couple years will be safer, but unsure.
I actually think that Tesla Model S and X are some of the best value vehicles for sale right now. They start at 7k with 2018 vehicles starting at $12k...
I will not buy one as I don't need it and Elon ruined the brand for me.
It is undoubtedly one of the issues that concerns me most in society. We see this in virtually every aspect of our lives. From basic necessities to our comforts, or even political opinions or fundamental beliefs.
Nowadays, the foundation and basis of something is simply nullified by the brutal and blind desire to be first, to respond first, to be better than everything around us. Even if this means contributing to our own existence or prosperity in the medium or long term.
For almost any situation, I'd argue it's "greener" to buy a used gas/diesel car and pay a mechanic to maintain it. The monthly budget to save up for repairs should be far lower than a new car payment, and ta least it won't depreciate as much. There was a recent news story about a car designed to jettison its battery pack in case of an emergency, but that wouldn't exactly prevent a parking garage fire. Imagine telling your insurance that your car got hit by an artillerized power pack from an EV parked nearby!
In today's global culture, people's thinking patterns are changing rapidly. As people become faster in making decisions, the results can be quite detrimental. Because quick decisions are rarely successful. Instead, the slow thinking you mentioned minimizes the losses we incur and also increases the results. In today's market, most consumers fall into trading traps because they do not think slowly.
As they say, "there is a lot to unpack here." I'll be honest that I'm a bit of a Pollyanna. (For the uninitiated, that is a person who is an optimist at heart.) What this means, in practice, is that I don't see a bad thing happen and view it as a trend or a larger statement about who we are as a species. Not that you were suggesting anything of the sort! I'm just saying that there are indeed those out there who will switch out their cars every few years, but there are millions more of us who drive our vehicles until all the parts fall off. Heh heh.
I do think we throw too much away, as a society. I may be a minority in this — I really don't know — but I personally don't throw stuff out. I give things away. I take things to charities. I don't buy stuff that is heavily packaged. I buy most clothing items used. I compost anything compostable. Most of the people I know are the same way. We all walk that fine line between wanting to reuse and recycle everything, and being hoarders. Just kidding. I think, quite honestly, that living in a minimal way is where it's at. I don't like collecting stuff or storing things that I'm not sure I'll ever need. So I avoid buying excess stuff in the first place.
I think that has been a trend indeed. But you know what? I sense a shift. A movement back toward being real, being connected in a deeper way, making smarter choices, investing in friendships and quality things instead of quantity. I think people are sick of shallowness and doom scrolling. Maybe I'm rambling. But the world needs to right itself. We need something more wholesome and happy than the angst and malaise of the last few years. I think it's coming. But you know me... a Pollyanna!
There is a ton of irony of your friend thinking about buying a gas combustible vehicle because he's worried about fires... 'gas-combustible' means it's powered by fiery little explosions.
I think people forget that:
A.) Mass produced EVs are relatively new while ICE vehicles have been around since 1910ish...
B.) Hybrid vehicles are good for areas without adequate charging... but from a technology standpoint, they are the worst of both worlds - they have the weight and new technology of a battery, and they have flammable gas right there too:
Source
I truly hope your friend does like 5 seconds of Googling before making a major purchase decision, even if he does have the resources for a lot of pointless consumption.
It seems to me that your friend will also replace the car he bought. His consumption habits are insane. It's very difficult for a person to overcome this. He could use the solar panel for another purpose. Frankly, someone with a consumption habit would either cancel the solar panel or simply let the system sit idle.
Don't you think this is normal? There are so many different versions of the same thing these days that the human brain constantly craves something new. Like a little baby bored with its new toy. Always something new, always something different. Even if it's a different color, we want something new. Companies have figured out human psychology and are launching new products accordingly.
Everything counts towards emissions. Like all the ammo being exploded in the last few years. All the fires we had, even locally. I only recently began donating on a monthly to a WWF fund that sponsors firefighting volunteers and I wonder how much will that help if at all. It is still some correct allocation of funds towards common well-being, I hope.
Personally, I invested in a small patches of land this year and I am about to begin spending even more time propagating young trees and bushes.
While I invested about twenty hours of my time this summer watering about 25 or so trees 20 kilometers from where I live, some dudes burned millions in my country alone.
What I do is pointless.
And I like it.
That bit about Everything is disposable hit hard, because you can see it in car changeovers after a scare like that.
Your right, fast flips feel safe but in teh numbers they leak value through depreciation, taxes and higher insurance, while the sellers pocket the compounding.
If he already sized solar for the EV, switching now is like paying twice for the same mile, my spreadsheet cries a little :)
Think slow saves wealth and health, knee jerk keeps feeding the few :(