The Nano Challenge

[realtraveller]

Interesting piece on a conundrum.

The Nano comes with its own moral dilemma. - By Anne Applebaum - Slate Magazine

Her conclusion is that people would rather breathe dirty air than live poor. I think (sadly) she's right.

[rmthunter]

One glaring omission -- she doesn't address at all what emissions controls are built in to the Nano, which to me leaves a gaping hole in her argument. She seems to be assuming that at $2,500 a pop, no emissions controls are built in, and, while that may be the case, I'd like to see it stated directly. Otherwise, I have to take the article as pure alarmism and the "conundrum" as an invented issue.

[realtraveller]

Even with emissions controls, gasoline engines pollute. I think that's her point. It would be nice to see some quantification though of numbers of Nanos expected to be sold and how much pollution they are expected to put out.

[rmthunter]

There's no such thing as a vehicle that doesn't pollute at this point, but she overstated her case somewhat by leaving that information out. Makes me doubt her whole article.

[realtraveller]

Why do you doubt the whole article? The Nanos will sell to people who before Nanos came out could not afford cars at all. Nanos will replace use of trains, buses, etc. in India and other poor countries. Therefore, there will be more pollution, more use of gasoline. It's just a matter of adding up the numbers as to how much more pollution there will be. The question is still the same.