I agree the presentation doesn’t address fuel, nor vandalism, theft. etc. But why not take iot a few steps further and see how these might be solved? It’s good to think outside the box, so rather than condemning designers for not being rooted in reality (whose?), I would prefer to say, “hey interesting direction, now what about factors _, or __? ” .

I do think in Ireland the soft car would last as long as it takes the next yob to spot it sitting defenseless on the street. I wonder how fast it can be set on fire, robbed, sliced up, or otherwise mangled? But I am also willing to believe there may be communities where softcars would be respected and left undamaged.

One of the concepts I think we really need to get away from is the silver bullet, the “one” answer that will meet all needs, or solve all problems. If we are to learn anything from natural systems, and apply this to sustainability, we need to get more comfortable with locally derived and locally applied solutions. They may not solve everything, but why not see wher they might fit into a more complex pattern of solution directions?

There began to be problems after wear and tear set in. A bike in good corking condition would be locked up and people started customizing them. Other damaged bikes were just dumped where they broke as the riders had no incentive to move them.

I expect similar problems with a car system as you’ve described. An aggressive maintenance policy would be necessary, it seems.