Hacker News new | ask | show | jobs
by jollybean 1813 days ago
This isn't very true though.

The bans are a very hard regulatory signal that the automakers have to contend with, that they likely would not otherwise - and it's a 'giant anchor' in the timeline for transformation that all industries can operate around. A 'date' is a form of regulatory clarity which is what businesses actually want.

The 'original bans' i.e. Denmark/California etc. make the most impact, because they're the markets that force the change, but the follow-ons matter.

15 years is actually not that long in the industry life cycle for automotive. 'Changing everything' about cars is going to be a big deal.

More importantly - it's not the auto-makers that will struggle: it's the electricity grid, battery makers, energy producers - because we have no idea what that means.

Where is the National/Provincial plan to upgrade the Energy Grid to be able to support this? Well now everyone is on notice.

Canada I think timed it correctly because I don't think bans on cars would be appropriate until there is material visibility into a solution. Electric cares are just now crossing the threshold of regular, viable utility to now is the time to flip the switch.