Americans’ junk-filled garages are hurting EV adoption, study says
Americans’ junk-filled garages are hurting EV adoption, study says
cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/34786131
I believe it. But like...if the story was "Americans' cluttered bedside tables are hurting smartphone adoption, study says," we would rightly consider that story downright insane.
I grew up with junk filled garages that meant we could never park the car in the garage. I will never be that way. I saw those boxes as stuff we would never use, and eventually, after all the kids had moved out, my parents did get rid of most of it. And it's like... then why did we drag that shit from house to house?? We literally paid for the space, and spent the effort to move and store all that useless shit that wasn't worth the rent we spent on the space to store it, especially considering we also had storage units.
So here's the thing...my car doesn't need a fucking house. My car can live outside just fine. I don't park my car outside because my garage is "filled with junk," but because it's filled with gym equipment, tools, and gardening supplies.
Where you primarily store your car affects your car insurance rates. It's why they ask you when getting a quote.
While EVs are perfectly happy keeping their batteries conditioned when plugged in outside, having them in a garage may reduce the energy cost somewhat in particularly hot/cold weather.
I'll never understand people that don't store their car in the car hole. People I know have had so many preventable problems that cost a TON of money.
Things like:
Wear is cumulative.
Most of all, the fun when the next hail storm destroys it, as hail is more frequent in more places across the US now, and insurance doesn't pay enough to replace it, or ceases to cover the damage. Good luck replacing it with today's insanely inflated car prices, at that.
That being said, I'm sure they've considered the trade-offs, and having space for everything can be hard to allocate. Some houses have very stupid designs. Also, in the context of electric cars, not really sure putting a lithium bomb in the house is smart. Whole house backups are installed on the exterior walls for a reason.
And not, like, the prices of said (non-Chinese) EVs or that many (most?) of us are barely getting by?
hoarding is a trauma behavior
Capitalism is a trauma machine.
When you grow up in poverty, you keep something because it will most likely be the only one of those things you will ever get. You may not need it now, but if you do later, youre fucked. So you keep it. Best case? You share "the things" with people you can trust and build a mutual aid network of friends that help each other, but by god you make sure you can get to "the things."
It's no wonder people being exposed to constant trauma do protective things. You could even say it's a reasonable response.
I believe it. I live in an area with lots of 3 car garages and it is shocking how many people have to park in their driveway. There's one house that charges in the driveway with the cord running under the garage door. Who needs a 3 car garage full of stuff?!?
I do, but uh ... it's in my username. If I weren't running multiple hobbies and a business out my barely-one-car garage, maybe my car could have a house. The one time I parked in my current garage, without stuff on either side, there still wasn't room to open the doors all the way.
Anyways, weather-proof chargers exist. Blows my mind that enough people supposedly don't know this to have any real impact. Well, it would, if I believed it.
I have a two car garage. One side is for the boat. The other side is for the tools and gardening setup and supplies for my business.
The cars can stay outside.
I don't believe for a second that enough people are ignorant of weather-proof charger setups to make this an issue. Maybe if most people weren't struggling to survive on terribly-low incomes, or renting from cheapskate land-lords, but in this reality? Not buying it.