Viability of Full Electric Cars

[Matthew Strongin]

One way to solve the daily commute is to decentralise business districts. There is no need for everyone to work in the same place anymore.

And more companies should embrace the benefits of a decentralized, remote (full- or part-time) workforce. Outside of certain types of interactions, like group brainstorming activities, most work can be done as effectively or more effectively outside the office. For employees there are less distractions (assuming you have a quiet place to work), more focused time, generally higher productivity, and less time in transit which offers flexibility and reduces stress. It also decreases the number of buildings needed to house workers and reduces the number of cars on the road; great for the environment. Unfortunately, many companies still operate with old school mindsets regarding where and how workers congregate. So much so that even a company like the one I work for, which builds technologies that enable remote workforces, struggles with embracing this mindset across the board. And if more people in the US didn't need to make extra long commutes, fully electric cars become much more viable for at least one of the vehicles in a multi-vehicle household.

[GrantM]

And more companies should embrace the benefits of a decentralized, remote (full- or part-time) workforce. Outside of certain types of interactions, like group brainstorming activities, most work can be done as effectively or more effectively outside the office. For employees there are less distractions (assuming you have a quiet place to work), more focused time, generally higher productivity, and less time in transit which offers flexibility and reduces stress. It also decreases the number of buildings needed to house workers and reduces the number of cars on the road; great for the environment. Unfortunately, many companies still operate with old school mindsets regarding where and how workers congregate. So much so that even a company like the one I work for, which builds technologies that enable remote workforces, struggles with embracing this mindset across the board. And if more people in the US didn't need to make extra long commutes, fully electric cars become much more viable for at least one of the vehicles in a multi-vehicle household.

I think you've raised a number of key issues, because obviously work and transportation are so tightly intertwined.

The game changer will be self-drive vehicles. So the questions become, do western cultures re-evaluate the nature of work,
change the way we plan our cities, give up engrained notions of mobility freedom based on the car, or to we rely on technology
to replace the driver with a computer? If i were a betting person, i'd go with the latter. If "commute time" becomes a choice
of personal time and/or productive time, that would fundamentally change the reality of home/life/work for those who can afford it.
It's all a bit terrifying in implications. Should cities be investing billions in public transportation or smart roads?

-g

[enr1co]

Tesla Model X launches tonight 9/29

Tesla’s Model X, its first all-new car in three years, launches today | The Verge

[nahtnoj]

And more companies should embrace the benefits of a decentralized, remote (full- or part-time) workforce. Outside of certain types of interactions, like group brainstorming activities, most work can be done as effectively or more effectively outside the office. For employees there are less distractions (assuming you have a quiet place to work), more focused time, generally higher productivity, and less time in transit which offers flexibility and reduces stress. It also decreases the number of buildings needed to house workers and reduces the number of cars on the road; great for the environment. Unfortunately, many companies still operate with old school mindsets regarding where and how workers congregate. So much so that even a company like the one I work for, which builds technologies that enable remote workforces, struggles with embracing this mindset across the board. And if more people in the US didn't need to make extra long commutes, fully electric cars become much more viable for at least one of the vehicles in a multi-vehicle household.

Working from home doesn't reduce energy consumption. Lots of people in one building uses less energy that one person in lots of buildings. It may not reduce driving that much either, as people still go out for lunch or run errands they would have done going to/from work.

I was working and on vacation in SoCal the last two weeks, and spent a lot of time trying to convince myself it isn't completely irredeemable. Sorry, but it is.

Today I was in New York City walking down Broadway from Penn Station to Union Square.

What a contrast.

[Matthew Strongin]

Working from home doesn't reduce energy consumption. Lots of people in one building uses less energy that one person in lots of buildings. It may not reduce driving that much either, as people still go out for lunch or run errands they would have done going to/from work.

I was working and on vacation in SoCal the last two weeks, and spent a lot of time trying to convince myself it isn't completely irredeemable. Sorry, but it is.

Today I was in New York City walking down Broadway from Penn Station to Union Square.

What a contrast.

I can see that in theory, but I'm not sure I agree in reality or will at least say that I think it depends. The common areas of my office building are always lit, air conditioned, and consuming electricity whether or not people are there during the work week. Even if we assume the single bulb lamp I use when sitting at home consumes the same electricity as the overhead lights in my office at work, that's a wash. My laptop will be plugged in for the same duration in either location. My personal consumption is probably similar. But if more people worked remotely more consistently, we'd need less buildings on our campus. That would in turn result in less money and energy spent on construction, less furniture, fewer facilities, etc. Also, less congested highways could result in less pollution. It's not an elimination of energy consumption, but I believe that cities like Miami where millions of people spend hours every day crawling along a highway to to sit at a desk and work independently in a partially empty building 3 towns away are making a more negative impact on the environment than it would if we changed a couple of those variables.

And one of the biggest differences is that instead of driving 35 miles each way to work, which is a very common thing here, I might drive (or ride my bike) 2 miles to a sandwich shop for lunch. On the topic of electric car viability, for the types of short errands I do when working from home an electric car would become perfectly adequate. For my commute I don't think it would.

And fwiw, in cities where everyone goes into an energy efficient office building by way of energy efficient public transportation and walks to fulfill most personal matters, it's a different story. I'd love to go back to my Washington DC days where I put 2K mile a year on my car and walked or took the metro everywhere. That only works in a few select places, though.

[vertical_doug]

The funny thing about Washington D.C., do as I say not as I do seems to be a good rule of thumb.

Attachment 85974

For most big cities, carbon footprint seems to go down.....then there is Washington.

[Matthew Strongin]

The funny thing about Washington D.C., do as I say not as I do seems to be a good rule of thumb.

Attachment 85974

For most big cities, carbon footprint seems to go down.....then there is Washington.

I bet DC would be lower if the federal government would allow remote work.

I'm kidding, of course, it's been 15 years since I've done any work for the us govt. so I have no clue what their policies are or if that would have any bearing on their greenhouse gas emissions.

[XR2]

The funny thing about Washington D.C., do as I say not as I do seems to be a good rule of thumb.

Attachment 85974

For most big cities, carbon footprint seems to go down.....then there is Washington.

How is that calculated? Why do you accept it as truth?

[David Tollefson]

The funny thing about Washington D.C., do as I say not as I do seems to be a good rule of thumb.

Attachment 85974

For most big cities, carbon footprint seems to go down.....then there is Washington.

If this includes human exhalation of CO2, I can completely believe it.