A great mini doc about how American car companies avoided international competition and regulations by creating a "light truck" segment of vehicles

yewtu.be/watch?v=jN7mSXMruEo

These Stupid Trucks are Literally Killing Us

Save $20 on an annual subscription to Nebula: https://go.nebula.tv/notjustbikes Engineers, planners, politicians, and advocates all around the world are trying to improve their cities and build more great walkable places with viable alternatives to …

^{Not Just Bikes | Invidious}

@estheria Our 1996 farm pickup is on its last legs and I’m dreading this aspect of the replacement process.

(That… and losing stick shift.)

for those who don't know. this isn't because of consumer demand.

This is because the larger the vehicle is in the US the less environmental tax the manufacturers pay (because you want to encourage big 18-wheelers to carry many things instead of many small cars carrying few things) BUT this also means if they make bigger vehicles they may more profit (less tax). Note that the truck got bigger, but not the bed size.

@bossito :vibing: Without even realising it yourself

@sтυx⚡ @Carlos Guerreiro

LastBoost: The word “progress” is misused here.

I think you’re thinking of “vanity”.

One tows a wheel barrow

The other tows the whole road train.

@leigh The problem is the US tax code. Vehicles over 6000 pounds are deductible as a business expense, lighter ones are not:

taxplanning.com/single-post/ve…

That's why GE is discontinuing the Bolt EV (despite how well it's selling) and replacing it with an SUV.

Vehicles over 6,000 pounds

Are you a business owner looking into purchasing a new vehicle? The IRS provides a deduction when a business owner purchases a vehicle that weighs more than 6,000 pounds.

^{Aaron Smith (taxplanning)}