Okay this makes no sense. What about semi trucks or anything commercial? Did we decide decades ago that they can just fuck off and die?
Do they get hazard pay?
Normal people have to read a booklet, memorize basic things, take a written test, take an eye test, and drive around the block. All can be done in the span of a day. License acquired, go drive whatever 9,000lb vehicle you want in the way you see fit.
Commercial vehicles require a commercial license to operate, which requires training and one at-fault accident may revoke their commercial license. Plus depending on the loads they carry they can be worth millions of tens of millions. That’s why you don’t typically see 53’ flatbeds going 20 over the limit and weaving in and out of traffic. Sometimes it can get sketchy if they’re close to their destination and it’s a rush against their (electronically) mandated off-time, but also one speeding ticket can put their license at risk.
Sounds only bad for people driving obese cars, which is good from my perspective.
So long as your perspective isn’t on the other side of these whales, than yes.
There was an article attached the post. Take a look
EVs are significantly heavier than ICE cars. That’s why this is a problem. The Rivian R1S is over 8,000 lbs.
The Rivian is absurd. What percent of Americans can even afford one? And what percent need one? This is why a tax on weight would be effective.
Sure the R1s are large, but R2 and R3 are much more reasonably sized and are planned to be lower priced. It seems that these new EV companies like to go with fewer of their higher end cars in the beginning to fund the production of the larger volume, more economic models later.
No, electric SUVs and other obese models are heavier. There’s plenty of EVs that are lighter than ICE cars.
Not than an equivalent ICE car. Sure you can make a subcompact EV, but it’s either gonna have no range, or weigh more than a Nissan Versa.
I mean, I never talked about just EVs. ICEs also have become way too big and consequently heavy over the decades. As far as I’m concerned, fuck cars in general.
that’s really interesting! I never really thought about how much weight the EVs haul around - and i imagine that the NTSB or whomever is actually responsible for guard rails didnt either. of course, guard rails dont do much for delivery vans or semi trucks - those both weigh in excess of 10,000 lbs. perhaps they’re not considered due to commercial vehicle regulations?
Natural selection
Oooohh yeeeaaaahhhh!!!
Seems like we need some regulation for maximum car weight to be. It’s a safety thing now
“The goliath-like GMC Hummer EV weighs a staggering 9,083 pounds, 2 tons more than a gas-guzzling H3.”
I’m confused 'Murica, do you want freedom or not?
But muh big truck
The only solution is a bigger truck.
We need to get rid of the commie laws requiring special licensing (CDL, Communist driver’s license) for freedom trucks.
My first car had a curb weight of 2400 lbs. It’s absurd how fucking huge these planet-destroying, environment destroying, life destroying monstrosities have become.
That’s 3175 kg for non-free folk. My car has around 1600 kg. 7k pound car is a fat fat cow.
Swifts and Mirages can be under 900kg.
It’s the battery, and the support frame to carry the weight of the battery safely. Like it or not - cars are getting heavier.
A little bit, yes. The electric version of my current car is only 200kg heavier. For context, it’s a small, compact city car.
But cars are getting huge in general, EV or not. A current gen VW Polo is bigger than an older VW Golf. All the while the Polo is (still is) the smaller brother of the Golf.It’s a big fat fucking truck or luxury suv with a battery. A normal sized electric car is a thing too, you know. Electrics will always need to be heavier than ice of same size and model, but that doesn’t mean it needs to weigh 3000kg. Car are growing heavier and bigger not just because of electrification, but because of growing fragile egos and growing fears in a vehicle arms race.
Trucks and SUVs are getting heavier to skirt emissions controls.
In 2010 the Obama administration passed laws tightening emissions control requirements for new vehicles. But the laws were written to allow emissions as a factor of vehicle size, larger vehicles were allowed to have more emissions.
Unfortunately, the plan backfired. Instead of reducing emissions, vehicle manufacturers just started making vehicles bigger.
It isn’t primarily the fragile egos that are driving sales of these vehicular monstrosities. It’s corporate profits and greed. Manufacturers aren’t making smaller models because they don’t make as much money on them, not because there isn’t a market for them.
People are saying “it’s all the electric cars and batteries…”
Yeah my VW ID4 which is a pretty decent sized electric car is 2003kg. You are looking at giant electric SUVs or electric trucks to get over that 3175kg. Even the cybertruck is only 3k and that is just a giant chunk of steel and battery. They must be including hauling weight in that…
Tldr most guard rails are designed to stop vehicles under 5000lbs. Passenger vehicles are starting to exceed that, and EVs can weight 30% more than ICE vehicles.
How about keeping the guard rails as they are and let the fat car drivers carry the risk?
Fat car can hit an innocent skinny car on the other side of the road, in case of an accident.
The problem is if they crash through the guard rail and kill or Injure others.
Even US drivers are not quite heavy enough to make a significant difference here. This has to do with car battery weights.
Simple, if you buy a car that’s too heavy for the existing infrastructure, you either pay for the improved infrastructure or take the risk yourself. The minivan that I drive the kids in is only 4,300 lb. If you’re driving something heavier than that then, best of luck. I expect that if I’m driving a camper, and I fall off the road, I’m just done. Game over.
I don’t expect infrastructure to adapt to the minority. That’s not what it’s for.
what about trucks? should these rails not work for big trucks? or are trucks a minority?
Trucks are driven by people that are supposed to be way better than the average driver. They also would need huge (and expensive) walls. At some point you have to compromise. It’s not feasible to truck-proof the roads.
At the moment I believe there are minority that’s becoming a majority but I maintain that if they’re the ones that require the infrastructure the payment for that infrastructure should be built into the cost of the vehicle or the licensure thereof.
I don’t think there’s a way to make it work for both cases.
It’s actually important that the rail gives in and deforms, as this reduces a cars energy much more quickly and safely than if it were rigid. Unfortunately this also makes them much less effective for larger vehicles.
In the end, it’s a question of protecting as many people as well as possible.
Trucks in America practically doubled in size within the last couple years. Expecting everything to change that quickly is ridiculous. If big trucks stick around then sure, expect infrastructure to become rated for it and also more expensive.
This reminds me of a recent news story where the government is unable to handle all of the new fraud claims that are originating out of Meta’s services. Coincidentally (read suspiciously) the increase in fraud claims began at the same time as the layoffs.
I think it was the New York attorney general that said directly “We refuse to operate as the customer service representatives of your company,” or something to that effect. [Sauce]
Companies really love foisting the responsibility that they rightfully own onto the government in this case I would say it’s the car manufacturers. They certainly have plenty of practice doing it
Trucks are commercial vehicles. People driving commercial vehicles should be professionals and we should have required a commercial class c license for all light duty pickup trucks or SUVs. Anything that gets an emissions credit so they can have lower MPG for being a commercial vehicle should also be classed as a commercial vehicle for licensing purposes.
I really like where your head’s at.
Seems like we need some regulation for maximum car weight to be. It’s a safety thing now
Apparently the author (and some of you as well) haven’t heard about 80,000lb tractor trailers…
Pretty sure those safety barriers were designed with personal vehicles in mind (+ safety margin). A truck would’ve blasted through them anyway, whether it be now, or 30 years ago.
You mean those commercial vehicles that need a different licence?
7000 Pounds is 3.2 Tons (metric)
3.2 Tons
geez, i wonder why these guardrails wouldn’t work on a fucking Truck
