604 more and more micro-mobility options

Have you seen that meme comparing the traffic created by ICE (internal combustion engine) cars versus electric cars? 

Spoiler alert: they make the same amount of traffic. 

See, we've got two issues conflated here, and honestly, EVs as we know them aren't a fantastic solution for either one. 

First is the issue of global warming and CO2 emissions. Electric cars promise no tail pipe emissions and high efficiency. Sounds good. And if you're using renewable energy for your charging, even better. But then there's the awkward, um, manufacturing phase, and the fact that your average EV is kinda heavy, because batteries, and has a bit more "stuff" in it than your average ICE car, all of which creates, um, pollution while being manufactured, and then, uh, disposed of in the not-to-distant future because, uh, we haven't exactly figured out how to recycle EV batteries, or how to fix them so they go longer safely, or at least we don't have the infrastructure to do those things, nevermind safely disposing of them.

Second, there's the whole "car" issue. As the famous poem goes, a car is a car is a car. Now, if you don't get what the issues are with cars, and how they have torn the fabric of our society apart and replaced it with stretch pants, I'm not sure I have time to explain right now. Still, let me give a brief summary of the joys of car ownership: alienation, obesity, poverty, misery, tedium, boredom, isolation, disability, back pain, oh, and traffic. And parking. And keeping the damn thing running. And gas prices. And injuries. And deaths. And just generally ugly landscapes. 

Lately, however, there is springing to life a new way. A third way. What if we take the CO2 and efficiency advantages of an EV, but got rid of the "car"-ness? Smaller? Maybe with some pedals, for exercise? 

The technology exists. Or is quickly being invented. We're talking electrified micro-mobility. You know, ebikes and scooters, but also cyclemobiles and, um, what are these things called? 

It's a whole new world happening. 

But there's a hitch. First, in the US, they're illegal. If it qualifies as a bike, you can ride it where bikes ride, but not on the freeway, and certainly not at freeway speeds. So, laws need to change.

Then there's the "getting smooshed" factor. For that to change, either we need separate infrastructure (bike lanes, micro lanes), or collision avoidance tech needs to improve, or the little guys just need to get so popular that the big guys go away.