Pedal power vs. motor vehicle slugfest

[xilman]

Originally Posted by retina

For example we could all live like the Amish and eschew all technology.

Amish have emphatically not eschewed all technology. A cart is technology. A wooden chair is technology. Woven cloth is technology. A house is technology (assuming that it is not an unimproved cave for example)

The Amish have eschewed some technology --- as have you and I. You appear to refuse to use javascript whereas I refuse to use FakeBook (and I guess that you do too). Different choices.

[kriesel]

Originally Posted by xilman

In my view a train (however powered) is a motorized vehicle. (Though I concede that there might be a few animal-drawn examples used primarily for the entertainment of tourists.)

The same goes for almost all cargo and passenger ships/boats in use today. Wind and human powered vessels exist but they are of negligible economic significance.

Exactly. If the source of electricity for an electric trolleycar or train can not be conclusively traced to renewables, it's over 80% likely in the USA to be powered by fossil fuels or nuclear fission. https://www.eia.gov/tools/faqs/faq.php?id=427&t=3 It just has a really long transmission system between reactor or combustion and end use.