https://xkcd.com/2929

Alt text:

While it seemed like a fun prank at the time, I realize my prank fire extinguishers full of leaded gasoline were a mistake.

  • jmiller@lemm.eeEnglish
    3·
    2 months ago

    Well, it has a carbon fiber frame with a crumple zone in the front. They are going to put it through 3rd party safety testing. It won’t be as safe as a big SUV, sure, but I think it will be safer than an ebike. It also protects you from weather and has 35 cubic feet of storage in the back. I think ebikes are great too, but this does have more of the advantages of a car.

    • frezik@midwest.socialEnglish
      1·
      2 months ago

      You know how the Internet made fun of Stockton Rush for using carbon fiber in a sub, which is a compression structure? Similar thing going on here. Carbon fiber is a great material for tensile strength and lightweight. It can be used in compression structures, but it needs more careful engineering to pull it off. The benefits do not always outweigh the costs.

      As a more general issue, if a car the size of a Geo Metro or smaller can’t be safe on roads, then motorcycles and bikes can’t be, either.