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Comment by craigzucchini | Hacker News Reader

If you have, have access to, are able, or want to drive a car, then at best it's reasonable option for places outside of denser areas, albeit far more expensive than the cost of gas. While cars are certainly good in some ways at getting people around to places that don't make sense to service with more significant options, they shouldn't be considered first when thinking about new development imo.

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> at best it's reasonable option for places outside of denser areas

AKA 99% of North America.

Places yes, not population though.

A non-new, efficient car (say, a 3 year old Prius) is about $0.15/mi to operate.

Perhaps, though I don't know where that number comes from. If it's purely gas mileage, then it doesn't account for cost of insurance, cost of the car, risk of an accident, cost of storing the car, cost of general maintenance, and, while sort of ancillary, cost the urban area if everyone relies on driving. If it's not pure gas mileage, I'd be curious how that formula works out, but there remain problems with that as a solution to anything.

That's all-in cost, including depreciation and fuel and insurance and maintenance. This is why UberX sort of works for some drivers.

The rate for a new car is much closer to the federal reimbursement rate ($0.545/mi), mostly depreciation. Obviously driving a new lambo at 100mph will be more like $4/mi.

I'm really not finding how this can work out to $0.15. Could you clarify about what the federal reimbursement rate is? Again, if that number were true—which it may be but so far it seems unlikely—the remaining issues are important. AAA, CAA, and other news sources, it takes a very generous amount of miles to get there.

How is that number calculated?

AAA and others have good data (usually for new cars, though, so depreciation makes it $0.30-0.40/mi total).

https://therideshareguy.com/is-a-toyota-prius-the-best-car-f... has a 2011 and 2016 Prius.

I haven't gotten a chance to read through that yet, but even if a Prius is the best ridesharing car, i doubt the best car for an Uber driver and the best car for someone driving 10 miles to and from work five days a week are going to be the same. You'd have to drive a real lot to have the increase in gas mileage cancel out the higher purchase price and higher insurance costs vs a basic econocar.

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