This “shaming” or the “shit storm” is usually (and I think here too) just some Incels commenting on Instagram. As Instagram optimizes for maximum engagement, the stupidest and most controversial take is always at the top of the comments, that’s how we end up with these idiots getting their platform. And these “news sites” then make a big deal out of a few losers also as engagement bait. This whole system is fucked

I guess we’re screwed

I know it as “Seitdem das Deutsche Reich besteht wird die Schraube rechts gedreht” (“Since the German Reich was founded, the screw has been turned to the right”), I always assumed it was because many things were standardized between the German states after unification and that this was one of these things, but I can’t find any reference to that.

How is that a better solution than using another messenger app?

Not if your goal is to reach net zero emissions at some point

There are definitely use cases for battery-electric trains:

• We have these in Germany usually in areas with low traffic. E.g. if a train line is only serviced a couple of times a day, it’s more cost-effective to carry the batteries with you than to electrify the line.
• Another use case are train ferries. They are the reason why Germany also had Diesel-powered high-speed trains for a while.
• Another challenge in Europe is the lack of harmonization of power supplies of train lines between countries. In cross-border traffic, trains have to be adapted to work with different energy supplies. Battery-electric trains can add flexibility for these scenarios. E.g. Germany uses AC 15 kV 16.7Hz, the Netherlands DC 1.5 kV on low-speed and AC 25 kV 50Hz on high-speed lines. When a train goes from the Netherlands to Germany, it disconnects from the Dutch system and reconnects to the German system on the fly. For a moment in between, the train loses power. If the train lacks momentum or has to stop unexpectedly, the train is stranded and has to be pushed over the border by another train that is independent of the power supply.