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writing:personal_vehicles [2026/01/11 01:34] – JacobCoffinWriteswriting:personal_vehicles [2026/01/12 01:03] (current) – JacobCoffinWrites
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-=====Personal Vehicles for Solarpunk Settings=====+===== Personal Vehicles for Solarpunk Settings =====
  
-//Personal vehicles in solarpunk?// +//Personal vehicles in solarpunk?//
  
-In a solarpunk world, most personal travel should be feasible with public transit in one form or another, whether that's trains, trams, streetcars, buses, [[ropeways|ropeways]], [[nautical_solarpunk|ships]], ferries, airships. Similarly, most cargo is likely moved by ships, trains, airships, [[https://www.eurogunzel.com/2018/09/freight-trams-of-europe/|freight trams]] or similar efficient systems. +In a solarpunk world, most personal travel should be feasible with public transit in one form or another, whether that's trains, trams, streetcars, buses, [[ropeways|ropeways]], [[nautical_solarpunk|ships]], ferries, airships. Similarly, most cargo is likely moved by ships, trains, airships, [[https://www.eurogunzel.com/2018/09/freight-trams-of-europe/|freight trams]] or similar efficient systems.
  
 But even an effective, well-resourced public transportation network will have gaps, places where the last-mile problem shows through, whether that's personal conveyance for people with disabilities and other needs, people trying to transport heavy cargoes from the docks or trainyard to a workshop or home, or, in rural areas, farmers, forest managers, and others whose work/lifestyle takes them impractically far from public transit. But even an effective, well-resourced public transportation network will have gaps, places where the last-mile problem shows through, whether that's personal conveyance for people with disabilities and other needs, people trying to transport heavy cargoes from the docks or trainyard to a workshop or home, or, in rural areas, farmers, forest managers, and others whose work/lifestyle takes them impractically far from public transit.
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 This page will explore the types of vehicle which might make sense in these use-cases. There are some fun opportunities from a writing/worldbuilding standpoint here. The changes to a setting which which make it solarpunk will likely turn cars from an expensive necessity to a rarity and can easily allow for a handful of vehicles (in the correct niches) with much more individual character. This page will explore the types of vehicle which might make sense in these use-cases. There are some fun opportunities from a writing/worldbuilding standpoint here. The changes to a setting which which make it solarpunk will likely turn cars from an expensive necessity to a rarity and can easily allow for a handful of vehicles (in the correct niches) with much more individual character.
  
-====The Problems Today====+==== The Problems Today ====
  
 Over the last hundred years cars shifted from luxury to necessity - a big part of that transition was accomplished by reshaping all of society around them. Prior to mass adoption of the automobile, cities and rural areas were generally developed on a human scale, around walkable distances and available mass transit. Once personal vehicles were common, roads were widened, huge swaths of land were dedicated to parking, and most crucially, the distances between things stretched out in a way that made accomplishing even basic tasks (like going to work or the store) difficult without a car. We cover this a bit more thoroughly in our sections on [[exurbs_in_the_solarpunk_transition|exurbs and how they might change in the solarpunk transition]]. But we're here to talk about the vehicles themselves, so lets do that: Over the last hundred years cars shifted from luxury to necessity - a big part of that transition was accomplished by reshaping all of society around them. Prior to mass adoption of the automobile, cities and rural areas were generally developed on a human scale, around walkable distances and available mass transit. Once personal vehicles were common, roads were widened, huge swaths of land were dedicated to parking, and most crucially, the distances between things stretched out in a way that made accomplishing even basic tasks (like going to work or the store) difficult without a car. We cover this a bit more thoroughly in our sections on [[exurbs_in_the_solarpunk_transition|exurbs and how they might change in the solarpunk transition]]. But we're here to talk about the vehicles themselves, so lets do that:
  
-In the modern day, vehicle designs have taken on a degree of sameness, mostly due to safety requirements and the fact that most vehicles intended for regular people are trying to do every job at once. Whether it's a small sedan or a giant pickup truck it needs to be built to transport around five people and a fair bit of cargo, to travel safely at highway speeds, and to protect its passengers during a head-on collision there. Emissions requirements and fuel efficiency needs (because many places become non-viable if you can't afford to drive) add complexity and cost. +In the modern day, vehicle designs have taken on a degree of sameness, mostly due to safety requirements and the fact that most vehicles intended for regular people are trying to do every job at once. Whether it's a small sedan or a giant pickup truck it needs to be built to transport around five people and a fair bit of cargo, to travel safely at highway speeds, and to protect its passengers during a head-on collision there. Emissions requirements and fuel efficiency needs (because many places become non-viable if you can't afford to drive) add complexity and cost.
  
 This is reinforced by auto manufacturers favoring large, expensive vehicles (largely due to an emissions regulation loophole in the US) with luxury features included even in base models -if you can only afford one vehicle, //you need it to do every job//. This is reinforced by auto manufacturers favoring large, expensive vehicles (largely due to an emissions regulation loophole in the US) with luxury features included even in base models -if you can only afford one vehicle, //you need it to do every job//.
  
-These overlapping, sometimes conflicting requirements lead to some odd outcomes, like huge, low-gas-mileage pickup trucks designed with tiny cargo beds to fit a large passenger cab, and an ever-larger-vehicle arms race where even basic passenger sedans and hatchbacks are made far larger than they need to be because larger vehicles are generally safer in a high speed collisions. +These overlapping, sometimes conflicting requirements lead to some odd outcomes, like huge, low-gas-mileage pickup trucks designed with tiny cargo beds to fit a large passenger cab, and an ever-larger-vehicle arms race where even basic passenger sedans and hatchbacks are made far larger than they need to be because larger vehicles are generally safer in a high speed collisions.
  
 ==== Personal Vehicles in a Solarpunk Setting ==== ==== Personal Vehicles in a Solarpunk Setting ====
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 In rural areas, we might see a dramatic reduction in the quality and coverage of the road network once cars stop being the default, and a matching reconfiguration of how our communities are laid out towards denser villages with public transit, and more farmland and rewilded habitat between them. In town the vehicles will likely match the city list below, but outside of them there are some interesting options for specific jobs and for long trips to more isolated farms, work sites, homesteads, and other holdouts. In rural areas, we might see a dramatic reduction in the quality and coverage of the road network once cars stop being the default, and a matching reconfiguration of how our communities are laid out towards denser villages with public transit, and more farmland and rewilded habitat between them. In town the vehicles will likely match the city list below, but outside of them there are some interesting options for specific jobs and for long trips to more isolated farms, work sites, homesteads, and other holdouts.
- 
-   
  
 ==== Get to the Vehicles Already! ==== ==== Get to the Vehicles Already! ====
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 We're starting off with the obvious ones, bicycles, scooters, electric scooters, electric mopeds, e-bikes, cargo bikes, cargo e-bikes. These vehicles are cheaper to design, build, and maintain, they fill many of the same roles cars do today, and [[https://arstechnica.com/cars/2023/11/280-million-e-bikes-are-slashing-oil-demand-far-more-than-electric-vehicles/|they're already making an outsized dent in the world's demand for oil]]. They make a lot of sense for cities built at a human scale. And if your setting is recovering from the climate disaster or other societal crumbles, and especially if your setting [[https://web.archive.org/web/20240723014312/https://www.autoblog.com/2024/07/21/havanas-roads-change-as-cubans-adopt-electric-bikes-and-vehicles/|has other shortages which are putting pressure on the public transit network]], these vehicles are a simpler way to provide independent transportation while rebuilding everything else. We're starting off with the obvious ones, bicycles, scooters, electric scooters, electric mopeds, e-bikes, cargo bikes, cargo e-bikes. These vehicles are cheaper to design, build, and maintain, they fill many of the same roles cars do today, and [[https://arstechnica.com/cars/2023/11/280-million-e-bikes-are-slashing-oil-demand-far-more-than-electric-vehicles/|they're already making an outsized dent in the world's demand for oil]]. They make a lot of sense for cities built at a human scale. And if your setting is recovering from the climate disaster or other societal crumbles, and especially if your setting [[https://web.archive.org/web/20240723014312/https://www.autoblog.com/2024/07/21/havanas-roads-change-as-cubans-adopt-electric-bikes-and-vehicles/|has other shortages which are putting pressure on the public transit network]], these vehicles are a simpler way to provide independent transportation while rebuilding everything else.
  
-A common sentiment I've found while reading about electric bikes is that they actually offer the same freedom and convenience once promised by the automobile, without the tremendous cost of purchase and upkeep, and the general stress of traffic and parking.+A common sentiment I've found while reading about electric bikes is that they actually offer the same freedom and convenience once promised by the automobile, without the [[https://archive.is/6AdZe|tremendous cost of purchase and upkeep]], and the general stress of traffic and parking.
  
 They're also [[https://scul.org/skynet2.0/public/home|fantastically changeable]], with thousands of DIY variations and modifications for all situations. Cargo bikes especially see a wide array of mods for increased capacity. They're also [[https://scul.org/skynet2.0/public/home|fantastically changeable]], with thousands of DIY variations and modifications for all situations. Cargo bikes especially see a wide array of mods for increased capacity.
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 The variety of vehicles will largely depend on the state of the roads. The closer to the modern day they fit, the more stringent the requirements on their design and maintenance. If the condition of the roads effectively enforces a lower speed limit, of if vehicles are less regulated in these regions, then the vehicles which remain can be much more interesting. The variety of vehicles will largely depend on the state of the roads. The closer to the modern day they fit, the more stringent the requirements on their design and maintenance. If the condition of the roads effectively enforces a lower speed limit, of if vehicles are less regulated in these regions, then the vehicles which remain can be much more interesting.
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 **Electric Vehicles** **Electric Vehicles**
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 Or, for an even more messy, salvage-heavy addition, there are conversions for [[https://solar.lowtechmagazine.com/2023/11/plastic-waste-in-the-fuel-tank/|plastic de-refineries]] which can use plastic trash as fuel (and in a setting with deconstruction may be able to use astroturf lawns, broken plastic siding, or “structural” [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exterior_insulation_finishing_system|foam facades]] as fuel on their trips). This isn’t perfect: it still produces pollution and releases petrochemical CO2, but if the goal is to salvage as much material as possible, and to prevent it from burning pointlessly [[https://www.envistaforensics.com/knowledge-center/insights/articles/eifs-construction-efficiency-or-concern/|in the next wildfire]], an aspirational society might accept that use of it. Or, for an even more messy, salvage-heavy addition, there are conversions for [[https://solar.lowtechmagazine.com/2023/11/plastic-waste-in-the-fuel-tank/|plastic de-refineries]] which can use plastic trash as fuel (and in a setting with deconstruction may be able to use astroturf lawns, broken plastic siding, or “structural” [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exterior_insulation_finishing_system|foam facades]] as fuel on their trips). This isn’t perfect: it still produces pollution and releases petrochemical CO2, but if the goal is to salvage as much material as possible, and to prevent it from burning pointlessly [[https://www.envistaforensics.com/knowledge-center/insights/articles/eifs-construction-efficiency-or-concern/|in the next wildfire]], an aspirational society might accept that use of it.
 +
 +** Watercraft **
 +
 +Historically boats, canoes, kayaks, barges, and a thousand other varieties of small craft have played primary roles in transportation. In thickly-forested land, or areas with lots of rough ground and elevation changes, rivers and lakes became highways for humans, providing comparatively easy travel, especially when hauling heavy cargo. This was especially useful because even in areas with lots of dry land, humans often build their settlements right on waterways.
 +
 +In a modern solarpunk setting, this kind of transportation could still be very viable. And when people have watercraft designs from all cultures and history to choose from, and access to modern materials and technology, these vehicles can get very interesting.
 +
 +Kayaks, canoes, and narrow, shallow-draft boats make a lot of sense in smaller rivers, and can be motorized or even converted to include a sail fairly easily. On lakes and large rivers, with more room to maneuver all kinds of interesting craft can appear (personally I love catamarans and trimarans). Hydrofoils, jet skis, (hydrofoil jet skis?), even hovercrafts or other amphibious vehicles can make sense in the right context (some of these can work equally well whether the water body is frozen or not). On big lakes an [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ground-effect_vehicle|Ekranoplan or ground-effect vehicle]] could be interesting.
 +
 +** Personal Aircraft**
 +
 +In the right setting, especially very isolated rural areas, or very post-scarcity timelines, personal aircraft may be a good fit. Hang gliders and paragliders, even small planes or quadrotor systems could be a good fit depending on your needs.
  
 ** Seasonal Vehicles ** ** Seasonal Vehicles **
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 This category isn't exclusive to anything above, but it might be worth considering as a sort of modifier. In regions with cold, snowy winters, we currently invest a tremendous amount of resources keeping the roads drivable in all circumstances, and some of the practices we use are [[road_salt|having catastrophic environmental effects]]. An alternative is to [[http://www.modeltfordsnowmobile.com/LCmainHistoricalImages.htm|reference the past]] and embrace seasonality, including in how we travel. [[seasonal_roads|Our page on seasonal roads has a more thorough writeup of both the kinds of track and ski modifications which might be used to convert a road-worthy vehicle to travel over snow, as well as how the roads might be maintained.]] But this philosophy might also include [[https://camillc.com/hydraterra/|flood-ready public transportation]], ready to navigate minor floods or to serve as an evacuation fleet, or similar amphibious personal vehicles. This category isn't exclusive to anything above, but it might be worth considering as a sort of modifier. In regions with cold, snowy winters, we currently invest a tremendous amount of resources keeping the roads drivable in all circumstances, and some of the practices we use are [[road_salt|having catastrophic environmental effects]]. An alternative is to [[http://www.modeltfordsnowmobile.com/LCmainHistoricalImages.htm|reference the past]] and embrace seasonality, including in how we travel. [[seasonal_roads|Our page on seasonal roads has a more thorough writeup of both the kinds of track and ski modifications which might be used to convert a road-worthy vehicle to travel over snow, as well as how the roads might be maintained.]] But this philosophy might also include [[https://camillc.com/hydraterra/|flood-ready public transportation]], ready to navigate minor floods or to serve as an evacuation fleet, or similar amphibious personal vehicles.
 +
 +** Vehicles as a Personal, Private space **
 +
 +There's a concept introduced in [[https://nebula.tv/videos/citynerd-car-brain-is-a-scourge-on-society|this video]] that adds another reason why people IRL are so attached to cars: because for many, a personal vehicle may be the only or primary private personal space they have. This circumstance may be reduced in a solarpunk setting, where housing guarantees could do much to alleviate this issue, but for near future settings, it's possible that there'll be a whole category of traumatized people who need a "mobile, safe, place". Fiction is a good place to imagine and depict answers to show people today that another world is possible.