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Auto Mileage Standards Raised to 35 mpg
Ponca City, We Love You writes "The Senate just passed a bill that will increase auto mileage standards for the first time in three decades. The auto industry's fleet of new cars, sport utility vehicles, pickup trucks and vans will have to average 35 mpg by 2020, a significant increase over the 2008 requirement of 27.5 mpg average. For consumers, the legislation will mean that over the next dozen years auto companies will likely build more diesel-powered SUVs and gas-electric hybrid cars as well as vehicles that can run on 85 percent ethanol. Automakers had vehemently opposed legislation in June that contained the same mileage requirements and Fortune magazine reported that American automakers were starting the miles-per-gallon race far behind Japan and that the new standards could doom US automakers. At the time, Chrysler officially put the cost of meeting the proposed rules at $6,700 per vehicle. The White House announced the President will sign the bill if it comes to his desk."
less gas burnt, less co2 pumped into atmosphere. isn't that how it works? or am I missing something?
Anyone who believes something like that has no grasp whatsoever on fundamental economics, not to mention any sort of understanding of the global oil supply. For one thing, any sort of "abrupt peak" and resulting fuel shortages is ridiculous. As the supply decreases, the price will increase, lowering demand...not difficult to understand. Also, oil is not something sitting in a big bucket, and once we pump what's there, that's it. Oil is everywhere, and as the price increases, new sources are becoming economically viable all the time.
/. and elsewhere) were saying we were hitting peak oil. I think that was even the cover story on National Geographic or something. How shocked those people must be that global oil production has continued to increase! They must now have realized that they were wrong about peak oil. Oh wait, no, they just pretend like that never happened, and say that peak oil is just around the corner again.
I remember about two years ago a bunch of people (on
Buy what you want! If you want to pay an extra $6,000+ dollars so you can save $100/year on gasoline, by all means feel free! But don't tell me that I must do the same, because you feel guilty about raping Gaea.
With GPS, we could automaticly raise prices in traffic heavy areas and lower them in empty areas.
That would promote 'sprawl' which is characterized as a 'bad thing' by the people who like large powerful governments. They instead promote the idea that the population should be crowded into high-rise apartment buildings along light-rail corridors.
Really. That's what the 'progressives' promote.
I've ridden in a Ford Escort. I rented one once.....ONCE. You know...I'd like to get 40 miles to the gallon...but being tortured to the point of wanting to kill the sadistic motherfucker that designed the little piece of shit isn't worth it to me. For all those that like riding in plastic and aluminum foil matchbox size cars...good for you. More power to ya. I'll just keep trucking along in my old comfortable gas guzzler that gets a mere 20 mpg's. It's better than my 70 440 charger that got about 8mpg. :)
You shouldn't be driving fast enough to get into trouble that you need to accelerate out of in any case...