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White House Proposal Rolls Back Fuel Economy Standards, No Exception For California (npr.org)

The Trump administration has proposed a rollback of Obama-era fuel efficiency and emissions standards, while simultaneously taking aim at California's unique ability to set more stringent rules. From a report: Under the Obama administration, the Environmental Protection Agency called for the fuel economy standards for new vehicles to ratchet up over time. The increasingly strict standards were designed to combat climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions. On Thursday, the EPA and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration released a new proposed rule that would instead freeze the standards at their 2020 levels for six years. "Cars and trucks are just part of the basic fiber of the American economy and the American experience, so we take what we're doing very, very seriously," Bill Wehrum, EPA assistant administrator, told reporters on Thursday. The agencies say that increasing fuel efficiency requirements contributes to an increase in the cost of new cars and trucks, which may discourage consumers from buying new vehicles. Because newer vehicles have advanced safety features, the administration argues, increasing fuel economy requirements therefore harms highway safety, as well as having economic effects.

607 comments

  1. "I have friends who own coal mines..." by Zontar+The+Mindless · · Score: 5, Insightful

    "...and oil wells."

    --
    Il n'y a pas de Planet B.
    1. Re:"I have friends who own coal mines..." by Joce640k · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I was going to mod this "insightful" but it hardly qualifies.

      It should be obvious to anybody with two braincells to rub together.

      All those oil billionaires who financed Trump's campaign are getting their payback.

      --
      No sig today...
    2. Re:"I have friends who own coal mines..." by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      "...and oil wells."

      Cute, but that has nothing to do with this. The price of oil is dropping already mostly due to supply side; consumption is actually quite high. The effect on oil supply and demand would be very small with these emissions standards, but it would increase the cost of the car.

    3. Re:"I have friends who own coal mines..." by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Flamebait

      but it would increase the cost of the car.

      Always the same freaking argument.

      It costs more to have proper sewage systems than to throw your shit in the street behind your house like they used to do, when people died of cholera by the thousands.

      It costs more to clean your industrial rejects than to just dump them in the river like they used to, when people died by the thousands of lead, mercury, etc poisoning.

      It costs more to maintain your house than to let it get infested by mice, cockroaches and mold.

      It costs more to be clean than to be dirty. Pay more and live healthy, or pay less and die. It's really just that simple.

      It's called being civilized, something that trumptards and other conservatives don't seem to want to be.

    4. Re:"I have friends who own coal mines..." by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If Standard Oil still existed as a consolidated company, it would have hit a trillion far sooner than Apple.

    5. Re: "I have friends who own coal mines..." by giggleloop · · Score: 2, Informative

      So why did oil companies spend so much time and energy spread misinformation about climate change then? https://www.scientificamerican...

    6. Re: "I have friends who own coal mines..." by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      L O L

    7. Re: "I have friends who own coal mines..." by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Trump is going to ban those safety features too, he's just waiting for the moment to declare seatbelts and airbags enemies of the people.

    8. Re:"I have friends who own coal mines..." by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      If new cars cost more, more people keep driving old cars. Would you prefer 5% of the old cars are upgraded to new cars getting 20% better emissions, or that 20% of the old cars are upgraded to new cars getting 10% better emissions? If you can get more of the less efficient cars off the road for smaller per car improvement, but bigger net improvement, isn't that better than the virtue of being able to say you forced better standards for less net gain?

      Concentrating on the per unit improvement while ignoring the net is shortsighted. It gives a warm fuzzy feeling, but does not actually improve anything. Requiring less can actually achieve more. You need to be open minded enough to take economics in to consideration, not just the all or nothing approach of the green zealots.

    9. Re: "I have friends who own coal mines..." by Type44Q · · Score: 2

      Clearly. What I find particularly infuriating, besides the obvious environmental impact, is the fact that it doesnâ(TM)t do the U.S. any good to address imbalanced auto tariffs in other markets if we arenâ(TM)t going to manufacture vehicles that they even want.

    10. Re:"I have friends who own coal mines..." by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      It's called being civilized, something that trumptards and other conservatives don't seem to want to be.

      Like it or not, a sizable segment of the country voted for him. Most did not vote for him because they like him, but because they hate the utter hypocrisy, corruption, and inefficiency of the standard political class.

      Your arguments and comments do nothing when you denigrate others' beliefs or opinions via name calling other than serve your own need for self-gratification through punching a straw man, and given the size of people who voted for Trump you actually hurt your ability for comments to have any meaning beyond your selfish needs as you simply turn away the people who voted for him.

      Leftists like yourself generally fail because they are actually poor listeners and are unwilling to hear beliefs of those who don't agree with their positions, when in fact people have rational decisions as to why they do what they do. Hearing and understanding allows for common ground to be found and thus deal making and progress, but the usual villainizing of conservatives by left-leaning people results in damaging a leftist's ability to implement change.

    11. Re:"I have friends who own coal mines..." by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Your analogies don't hold up because it's a matter of degree, not yes or no. Yes sewers are important, but an absolutely immaculate, perfect sewer system that cleans absolutely everything at the cost of bankrupting a nation is not.

      Cars have very good emissions control systems right now. Increasing standards will drive up cost, and will not necessarily result in improvements in air quality; rather it's a ratio of investment. If it reduced air pollution by .1% but increased the cost of cars by 100%, then that's inefficient, whereas if it reduced air pollution by 20% but increased the cost of the car by only 2%, that might be considered efficient.

      Your analogies are useless given that they are absolutes when the topic at hand is a discussion of severity vs. increased cost.

    12. Re:"I have friends who own coal mines..." by Rob+Y. · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Funny how concepts like States' Rights lose their importance when you don't like what the States are doing - but are a useful cover when you want to, say, destroy unions - or pander to racist voters.

      --
      Posted from my Android phone. Oh, I can change this? There, that's better...
    13. Re: "I have friends who own coal mines..." by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Turn left into left/right and you have a winner.

      Nice partisan cock sucking tho.

    14. Re: "I have friends who own coal mines..." by Joce640k · · Score: 0

      Oil, gas, and coal companies are not owned by select few industrial billionaires. But owned by millions of Americans as shareholders. Only a about 3% of shares are owned by corporate management.

      So? Those 3% are The Donald's buddies and they need looking after.

      Planet heats up as a result and causes a disaster? Not their problem, right?

      When it all starts, I say we go up to their mountain mansions and shoot them all.

      --
      No sig today...
    15. Re: "I have friends who own coal mines..." by Joce640k · · Score: 0

      So why did oil companies spend so much time and energy spread misinformation about climate change then?

      That's an easy one: So the stupid people wouldn't buy more economical cars.

      Trump's now fixing it so the smart people can't buy them either.

      --
      No sig today...
    16. Re: "I have friends who own coal mines..." by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The article only refers to 1 oil company not plural. How can you imply misinformation when the science is not settled yet?

    17. Re: "I have friends who own coal mines..." by Barsteward · · Score: 3, Insightful

      That means the USA cars have even less chance of being sold in the EU - i doubt Trump has worked that out yet with all his whining that the people of the EU don;t buy enough USA cars

      --
      "The hands that help are better far than lips that pray." - Robert Ingersoll (1833-1899)
    18. Re: "I have friends who own coal mines..." by b0s0z0ku · · Score: 0

      If ordinary Americans choose to invest in environmental depredation, fuck them and their 401ks too. "Ordinary Americans" aren't necessarily good people.

    19. Re:"I have friends who own coal mines..." by b0s0z0ku · · Score: 0, Flamebait

      A sizable portion of the US public are uneducated and easily duped by corrupt/anti-sciencr/religious nutter media. Simple as that. Don't ascribe high motives to US voters.

    20. Re: "I have friends who own coal mines..." by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Price of cars will come down...or manufacturers will pocket the profits? Either way the environment loses.

    21. Re: "I have friends who own coal mines..." by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      When it all starts, I say we go up to their mountain mansions and shoot them all.

      Helter Skelter? Is that you Charlie?

    22. Re:"I have friends who own coal mines..." by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Trade wars also increase the cost of the car.

    23. Re: "I have friends who own coal mines..." by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      but because they hate the utter hypocrisy, corruption, and inefficiency of the standard political class.

      So they voted for the hypocrisy, corruption, and inefficiency of Trump?

      Remember his capacity for anything but rational arguments. He can't even admit when he makes things up from whole cloth.

      Maybe you would do better to consider how other people see your behavior when you embrace and apologize for Trump.

    24. Re: "I have friends who own coal mines..." by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Of course the people can still buy more-economical cars. Freezing fuel economy standards at 2020 levels merely guarantees that major automakers will keep less-efficient trucks and SUVs in their fleets for longer. If you still want a Prius, you can go get a Prius. There's a market for that stuff.

    25. Re: "I have friends who own coal mines..." by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      So you're smart, affluent, and you drive a Tesla.

      You're so awesome. I wish I were you.

    26. Re: "I have friends who own coal mines..." by Voice+of+satan · · Score: 1

      Sure but the positive effects on the atmosphere would be zero or even negative if your electricity comes from a coal, oil or gas plant.

      Long ago i had read a study that said the German electricity grid produced so much greenhouse gasses that using a modern diesel car was less worse than driving an electrical one.

      It was years ago and the data might be obsolete but i suspect that now it is even worse.

    27. Re: "I have friends who own coal mines..." by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Not really. The shareholders are institutional investors themselves. The average American has zero say in what goes on. Contrast that to Europe of China, where unions and national police/intel services have a place on company boards, as mandated by law.

      Oh, most oil/gas companies are owned overseas. The profits shoot offshore never to be seen again in the US, while Dubai or Riyadh might see a new world-record skyscraper.

    28. Re:"I have friends who own coal mines..." by DamnOregonian · · Score: 1, Insightful

      I agree 100%... but also vice versa :(

    29. Re:"I have friends who own coal mines..." by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It costs more to be clean than to be dirty. Pay more and live healthy and die anyway, or pay less and die. It's really just that simple.

      FTFY

      Not that I don't otherwise agree with you. I'd much prefer to be clean and civilized. I'm just pointing out that that particular argument is pretty weak IMO.

    30. Re: "I have friends who own coal mines..." by drinkypoo · · Score: 4, Informative

      That means the USA cars have even less chance of being sold in the EU

      Automakers do make "global" vehicles which are sold in multiple markets, but they also make regional vehicles which are only sold in specific markets. For example, Ford is discontinuing most of its cars here in the USA, but not elsewhere in the world, where people are still buying cars.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    31. Re:"I have friends who own coal mines..." by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      1) Has nothing to do with motives - this is a fact that you and the rest of the left-end of the spectrum have to deal with. If you cannot convince enough of the majority to align their ideology with yours, you will continually lose elections *where it counts*.

      2) You proved GP's point precisely by dismissing those who voted differently than you as (in perception) Stupid, Ignorant, and Gullible. Not exactly the best way to gain influence there, champ.

      If your ideology at large continues to fail to grasp and act on both 1) or 2), your ideology will continue to dwindle in membership, to the point of irrelevancy.

    32. Re:"I have friends who own coal mines..." by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Anyone with half a brain would also realize that the real impact of these regulations is the car manufacturers building cars out of spec to the regulation.

      So, the regulation didnt really do anything but make those half-brained people out there feel good about doing nothing.

    33. Re: "I have friends who own coal mines..." by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Found the budding totalitarian.

    34. Re: "I have friends who own coal mines..." by Nidi62 · · Score: 4, Interesting

      but because they hate the utter hypocrisy, corruption, and inefficiency of the standard political class.

      So they voted for the hypocrisy, corruption, and inefficiency of Trump?

      Remember his capacity for anything but rational arguments. He can't even admit when he makes things up from whole cloth.

      Maybe you would do better to consider how other people see your behavior when you embrace and apologize for Trump.

      I had a friend on Facebook post about how great Trump was because he was willing to give up a millionaire lifestyle to be President. Because apparently having people wait on your every need 24/7, having a private plane on standby just for you, spending almost every weekend at your own golf resort, and living in a 200 year old gated mansion isn't a millionaire lifestyle...

      --
      The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for it to be pitted against a slightly greater evil
    35. Re: "I have friends who own coal mines..." by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I drive a car and need gas.I burn wood in my fireplace for heat. I use natural gas to cook with. I use heating oil to heat my house with. Am I your enemy?

    36. Re: "I have friends who own coal mines..." by prisoner-of-enigma · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Trump's now fixing it so the smart people can't buy them either.

      Why can't they buy them? Is someone banning the sale of such vehicles? Is there a law being proposed that would prevent them from buying one? Is there a regulation on businesses from producing such a vehicle?

      The answer to all of these questions is, of course, no. Therefore your entire premise is wrong. Car companies are free to produce vehicles that exceed the economy figures, just like Warren Buffet is free to pay more taxes instead of griping that he thinks he's undertaxed. This is muchado about absolutely nothing and a legitimate rollback of powers the government should never have been given in the first place.

      --
      In the end they will lay their freedom at our feet and say to us, Make us your slaves, but feed us. - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
    37. Re: "I have friends who own coal mines..." by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      The super intelligent are often burdened by seeing the suffering of others, and being unable to help, such that we sometimes end up giving all we have to try to help others. Even knowing we cannot save them. Be glad you don't have to live this way.

    38. Re:"I have friends who own coal mines..." by Mab_Mass · · Score: 2

      Leftists like yourself generally fail because they are actually poor listeners and are unwilling to hear beliefs of those who don't agree with their positions, when in fact people have rational decisions as to why they do what they do. Hearing and understanding allows for common ground to be found and thus deal making and progress, but the usual villainizing of conservatives by left-leaning people results in damaging a leftist's ability to implement change.

      Point taken, but don't forget the conservatives can also be bad listeners and demonize the left.

      Shoving your head up your ass and ignoring outside viewpoints is a trait the spans the political spectrum.

    39. Re: "I have friends who own coal mines..." by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      When the right wants to lower emission standards, reduce national park sizes to allow drilling and drop out of climate agreements, they are only hurting the return on long term investments by all Americans. What we pump into our air, land and river ways will stay there long after our generation and will make things way worse for your children.

      But it doesn't matter, the sooner we wipe ourselves out with pollution, war, and over consumption, the sooner the earth can start to recover.

    40. Re: "I have friends who own coal mines..." by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Interesting

      but because they hate the utter hypocrisy, corruption, and inefficiency of the standard political class.

      So they voted for the hypocrisy, corruption, and inefficiency of Trump?

      Remember his capacity for anything but rational arguments. He can't even admit when he makes things up from whole cloth.

      Maybe you would do better to consider how other people see your behavior when you embrace and apologize for Trump.

      Quit creating straw men. I didn't say I voted for Trump. I do know many who did, and they did so solely because they don't care if Trump is inefficient or corrupt, the point is that he's not one of the current political class which is out of touch with their voter base.

      What I did say is that it is worthwhile to understand where they are coming from because those people have reasons for voting for Trump; in genera those reasons is a vote against the system. The Trump win is mostly a vote of no-confidence.

    41. Re: "I have friends who own coal mines..." by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      So? Those 3% are The Donald's buddies and they need looking after.

      Planet heats up as a result and causes a disaster? Not their problem, right?

      When it all starts, I say we go up to their mountain mansions and shoot them all.

      I think you'll find their security personnel up to druglord standards. The taxes they don't pay for maintaining communal security obviously can be more focusedly employed maintaining their own security operations.

    42. Re: "I have friends who own coal mines..." by unimacs · · Score: 3, Informative

      I can't comment on Germany but I suspect that things have gotten much better rather than worse. A decade ago in Minnesota nearly 70% of electricity was generated in coal fired power plants. Now it's less than 40%, and in the next decade it will drop substantially more. The rest is made up of renewables, nuclear, and natural gas.

      Natural gas is still a fossil fuel of course but produces 50 to 60% less CO2 than an equivalent coal plant.

      A lot of the coal plants in this country are old. Many have been taken off-line in recent years or are scheduled to come off line. They aren't being replaced with new coal plants, but with a combination of Gas and renewables. Both Wind and Natural Gas are cheaper sources of electricity than Coal in this state.

    43. Re: "I have friends who own coal mines..." by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That means the USA cars have even less chance of being sold in the EU

      Automakers do make "global" vehicles which are sold in multiple markets, but they also make regional vehicles which are only sold in specific markets. For example, Ford is discontinuing most of its cars here in the USA, but not elsewhere in the world, where people are still buying cars.

      Yep I remember in the last season of Top Gear with "The Trio" still hosting they did an episode with subcompact cars and none of them were models available in the USA even though the brands exist here, one of them was even a Ford that doesn't get offered to the US market.

    44. Re: "I have friends who own coal mines..." by b0s0z0ku · · Score: 0

      Found the crapitalist/liberatrash/dominionist cretin.

    45. Re: "I have friends who own coal mines..." by d0rp · · Score: 1

      I just figure they expect to be dead by the time climate change becomes an issue for them, so they don't give a shit. Even if bad stuff starts to happen soon, they have all that money they can use to keep themselves comfortable and safe until they die.

    46. Re:"I have friends who own coal mines..." by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      ... It has nothing to do with how you treat their opinions, but everything to do with using basic tact and dignity in your attempts to convince. Your statements thus far are little different than saying 'Look, stupid, agree with me because I am moral and right, and you are a lowly racist homophobic xenophobe until you do agree!' and expecting them to do so for no reason other than your blind, unreasoned, and baseless assertion that they should do so.

      As to "Global Warming" (It's called Climate Disruption now), a small newsflash: it is not immobile and immutable fact, by any stretch of the term, that humans are a primary (let alone *the* primary) cause (or in some cases that it is even occurring, especially given more than a few shenanigans concerning data manipulation), except in the eyes and minds of its most valiant believers (note that I used the word "believers" intentionally.) Asserting otherwise displays a closed-mindedness that is not only maddening, but shows a disdain for even basic scientific principle ("Of *course* outer space is filled with ether! What are you, ignorant! It's settled science you toad!")

    47. Re:"I have friends who own coal mines..." by gtall · · Score: 1

      "inefficiency" Really? Building the biggest superpower the world has ever seen. Yep, gotta stop that inefficiency and hand the world over to those nice Russians and Chinese.

    48. Re: "I have friends who own coal mines..." by gtall · · Score: 1

      Well, there are those 4-6 bankruptcies and the people he stiffed along the way. Now he can run the U.S. just like he did his alleged companies.

    49. Re:"I have friends who own coal mines..." by d0rp · · Score: 1

      It seems to me that the increased fuel efficiency requirements was a necessary step to spurn innovation in fuel economy; the auto makers were complacent with the status quo. They had no real incentive to invest in improving fuel efficiency when they could instead spend that money/effort adding new flashy features to their vehicles (and/or just keep pumping out the same-ish models every year).

      Whether or not we've already reached a tipping point, or if "freezing" the standard for the next few years is beneficial overall is certainly debatable, and you make some good points.

    50. Re: "I have friends who own coal mines..." by gtall · · Score: 0

      Yes, but el Presidente Tweetie has the old Soviet model of GDP and production. When one rolls off the docks onto a ship, he counts 1. When companies make stuff in other countries and sell it in other countries, he doesn't get to count 1 and then wets his bed.

    51. Re: "I have friends who own coal mines..." by RadioD00d · · Score: 1

      The super intelligent are often burdened by seeing the suffering of others, and being unable to help, such that we sometimes end up giving all we have to try to help others. Even knowing we cannot save them. Be glad you don't have to live this way.

      And today, of all days, I don't have mod points. This is the best mix of sarcasm, condescension, and vitriol I have read in a long time. I salute you, Sir/Madam!

    52. Re:"I have friends who own coal mines..." by clodney · · Score: 4, Interesting

      If new cars cost more, more people keep driving old cars. Would you prefer 5% of the old cars are upgraded to new cars getting 20% better emissions, or that 20% of the old cars are upgraded to new cars getting 10% better emissions? If you can get more of the less efficient cars off the road for smaller per car improvement, but bigger net improvement, isn't that better than the virtue of being able to say you forced better standards for less net gain?

      Concentrating on the per unit improvement while ignoring the net is shortsighted. It gives a warm fuzzy feeling, but does not actually improve anything. Requiring less can actually achieve more. You need to be open minded enough to take economics in to consideration, not just the all or nothing approach of the green zealots.

      Sure, but is there any data that shows that is the likely outcome? How much more will the fuel efficiency standards cost in terms of purchase price? What assumptions about gas prices do you make in calculating the payback? How price sensitive are consumers? If the economy is growing do more people buy cars than during a recession?

      If the argument is serious, present the data and let people argue the calculations and assumptions. Otherwise it is just hand waving, like asserting that tax cuts pay for themselves by increasing growth - which if taken to its logical conclusion, suggests that you can maximize government revenue by decreasing the tax rate all the way to zero.

    53. Re: "I have friends who own coal mines..." by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No they are creating income and enhancing their lives and living normally. They pay taxes probably go to church on Sundays and involved in their community and busy raising a family.

    54. Re:"I have friends who own coal mines..." by Alypius · · Score: 1

      "Global Warming" (It's called Climate Disruption now)

      Just like "Comcast" is now "Xfinity" and for much the same reason.

    55. Re:"I have friends who own coal mines..." by Alypius · · Score: 1

      This is where people like to say "But...but...if it saves the life of one child/seal/polar bear/delta smelt, it's worth it!"

    56. Re:"I have friends who own coal mines..." by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Not exactly the best way to gain influence there, champ.

      We on the Left don't care about "gaining influence" or changing the Right's minds. That ship sailed long ago.

      We on the Left intend to destroy those on the Right who oppose us and their ideology, pack them all away into labor camps, or just kill the stupid SOBs and burn down all their patriarchal Christian churches too. Enough of that "God and Jesus" fairytale nonsense already!. There is no peaceful coexistence possible with the Right. And, we will use whatever means available to accomplish our goals because in this case, the ends truly do justify the means...any means. Just as out in the wild, you don't worry about playing "fair" with a rattlesnake, you just kill the damned thing!

    57. Re: "I have friends who own coal mines..." by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You have to remember that the planet heating up due to manmade emissions is considered fiction to about 50% of american citizens who don't even realize that smog is a thing that kills / sickens people, let alone heating up the planet.

    58. Re:"I have friends who own coal mines..." by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I have first-hand experience with this. I grew up in an extremely religious household and it took me a while to really break free of that mentality. When you believe that the world (well, the universe, all existence) is a certain way, usually as a result of a specific religion, it really skews the way you think about everything. Often times (as in my case), this happens by no fault if your own; you've just been told that this is the way things are your entire life by people you trust the most (i.e. your parents at first). And anything that is different from that reality being told to you by others (i.e. main-stream media) is all a bunch of lies and part of some grand conspiracy to subvert your religion (and/or it's "the work of the devil").

      I don't know what the answer is to deal with this issue going forward, but I think I have a unique perspective since I've lived in both worlds, and I've spent a lot of time thinking about it. General knowledge about other people's positions I think is the first step, but people who are fully entrenched at one extreme or the other simply don't want to hear it, and we divide ourselves even more.

    59. Re: "I have friends who own coal mines..." by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Not to mention that he just gave away his White House salary according to a bunch of posts.

      Apparently, he's living on nothing right now. LOL

    60. Re: "I have friends who own coal mines..." by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Trump doesn't care. The EU is the greatest enemy of America after the media.

    61. Re: "I have friends who own coal mines..." by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Doesn't dispute totalitarian label.
      Thinks capitalist and libertarian are insults.

      You have some backward beliefs or just retarded.

    62. Re:"I have friends who own coal mines..." by larryjoe · · Score: 1

      If new cars cost more, more people keep driving old cars. Would you prefer 5% of the old cars are upgraded to new cars getting 20% better emissions, or that 20% of the old cars are upgraded to new cars getting 10% better emissions?

      Are these necessarily the correct options for the future? Ford is dropping small cars because expensive trucks are more profitable, and they're able to do this because they think the regulatory pressure for mileage is decreasing.

    63. Re:"I have friends who own coal mines..." by b0s0z0ku · · Score: 2

      Also, replacing old cars with new isn't necessarily the best option, environmentally speaking. New cars take energy and release toxins to manufacture. Old cars take energy to dispose of.

    64. Re: "I have friends who own coal mines..." by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I think you forgot about the USA made Tesla electric cars. In the UK I am seeing model S and X cars on charge at supercharges. People are waiting for the model 3 to arrive in the UK sometime next year. That is your USA success story despite Trump.

      Norway will be banning the sale of new fossil cars by 2025. That is a maximum of 6.5 years from now. So you are correct, you soon won't be able to sell new fossil cars in the EU. Already over 50% of new cars sold in Norway come with an electric plug.

    65. Re:"I have friends who own coal mines..." by CanHasDIY · · Score: 1

      Funny how concepts like States' Rights lose their importance when you don't like what the States are doing - but are a useful cover when you want to, say, destroy unions - or pander to racist voters.

      ... or force them to adhere to certain fuel economy standards...

      "It's only a problem when I disagree with the action."

      --
      An enigma, wrapped in a riddle, shrouded in bacon and cheese
    66. Re:"I have friends who own coal mines..." by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      There was a similar conundrum with regard to coal fired power plants. In the 90's, rules were put in that mandated if you updated a part of your plant, you had to bring the whole thing into compliance for emissions. The problem was, this was often cost prohibitive, so instead of getting piecemeal plant improvements (and resultant emission improvements), plants just kept fixing their old systems and maintaining the higher emission levels.

    67. Re: "I have friends who own coal mines..." by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      just like Warren Buffet is free to pay more taxes instead of griping that he thinks he's undertaxed.

      Warren Buffet doesn't know how to use Google because he is an old fart. "Gift to reduce the public debt" and send your money. Of course if you search through all the contributers you will not see one single politician or elite send in a single dollar even though it has been a thing for like 20+ years. .

      https://www.treasurydirect.gov/govt/reports/pd/gift/gift.htm

    68. Re: "I have friends who own coal mines..." by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      >Car companies are free to produce vehicles
      that means that you think that the "free" market isnt full of collusion.

    69. Re: "I have friends who own coal mines..." by fortfive · · Score: 1

      What about when the right wants to raise taxes on them?

      https://www.wsj.com/articles/n...

    70. Re: "I have friends who own coal mines..." by Bert64 · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Not only is he not one of the existing political class, he was also the only candidate with any hope of beating them...

      --
      http://spamdecoy.net - free throwaway anonymous email - avoid spam!
    71. Re: "I have friends who own coal mines..." by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Here you are... being a cunt again.

    72. Re:"I have friends who own coal mines..." by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      https://wgntv.com/2016/04/25/the-average-car-now-costs-25449-how-much-was-a-car-the-year-you-were-born/

      There is surprisingly little data out there on new car price trends, but this one would suggest that the price of a new car (in absolute terms) has been falling since about 2000, which is also about the point when US car manufactures started listing MPG in their advertising...

    73. Re:"I have friends who own coal mines..." by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      If new cars cost more, more people keep driving old cars.

      If Trump's tax cuts for the rich were creating more rich people, then there would be more barely-used and off-lease cars for sale, and poorer people would buy them and reduce their emissions.

      In fact, if new cars cost more, people go further into debt to buy new cars. Automakers have been extending loan periods and making loans available to people who are greater risks because people otherwise can't afford to buy their products, and they go out of business.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    74. Re: "I have friends who own coal mines..." by currently_awake · · Score: 1, Insightful

      1-A coal fired generator far away kills fewer children than a city full of diesel cars. 2-It's easier to put polution scrubbers on a stationary plant. 3-Once you have the electric cars it's quicker and cheaper to build a new generator than it is to replace a number of gas powered cars producing the same quantity of polution.

    75. Re: "I have friends who own coal mines..." by currently_awake · · Score: 1

      Rich people assume that ALL problems go away if you have money.

    76. Re: "I have friends who own coal mines..." by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I didn't see a way to search through the contributors, just annual dollar amounts listed. How does one see the contributors? Thanks.

    77. Re:"I have friends who own coal mines..." by currently_awake · · Score: 1

      If you eliminate the requirement to improve gas milage then the new car will get the same milage as the old one (assuming they buy the same size and performance, a reasonable assumption).

    78. Re: "I have friends who own coal mines..." by currently_awake · · Score: 1

      In the 60's Ford gave up the low end market and concentrated on the high profit market. This resulted in Japan eating their lunch (taking the market). Now they are doing the same thing, I expect China will be delighted.

    79. Re: "I have friends who own coal mines..." by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yet so true.... now about giving that wealth away part.... .... I accept bitcoins :)

    80. Re: "I have friends who own coal mines..." by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      In the 60's Ford gave up the low end market and concentrated on the high profit market. This resulted in Japan eating their lunch (taking the market). Now they are doing the same thing, I expect China will be delighted.

      This is an endless question for automakers. Do I focus on vehicles which produce a profit, or do I put equal effort into lesser, introductory vehicles which attract people to my brand? Ford is betting that this time will be different, on the premises that a) millenials have less brand loyalty and the next generation will probably have even less, and b) by the time people who buy entry-level cars grow up, personal vehicle ownership will be way down and more people will be depending on ride-hailing services. It will take some time to find out whether they are correct.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    81. Re:"I have friends who own coal mines..." by Darinbob · · Score: 1

      Because some people seem to think that cost is the only factor that matters. I assume they take the kids to the cheapest doctors.

      Newer autos are better then last decade's autos, and being more fuel efficient is one driving force behind this. You can get to the 50MPG goal without even going to a hybrid or plugin model, but you have to stop using those gas guzzlers. We need to get out of the 70s mindset where we made badly engineered autos while the foreign auto makers were innovating and eating our lunch.

    82. Re: "I have friends who own coal mines..." by guruevi · · Score: 1

      We tried "increasing" fuel economy during the Bush era by giving away money. We ended up with a boom in both SUVs and and an overload of working/newish cars on the scrap heap that we had difficulties recycling. You may not be old enough for the Bush era but government intervention in the market usually has adverse effects.

      --
      Custom electronics and digital signage for your business: www.evcircuits.com
    83. Re:"I have friends who own coal mines..." by Zontar+The+Mindless · · Score: 0

      I was going to mod this "insightful" but it hardly qualifies.

      It should be obvious to anybody with two braincells to rub together.

      Agreed, on both counts.

      But this is Slashdot, where I once got a +5, Informative for describing how I make coffee. Go figure.

      --
      Il n'y a pas de Planet B.
    84. Re: "I have friends who own coal mines..." by magzteel · · Score: 1

      So why did oil companies spend so much time and energy spread misinformation about climate change then?

      https://www.scientificamerican...

      That article doesn't present much of a case.

    85. Re: "I have friends who own coal mines..." by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's simulaneously a racist vote that at the minimum says "I don't give a fuck if dark-skinned people get fucked over by my little tantrum" and in many cases says "let's MAGA like it was before Civil Rights" and even in some cases says "Let's MAGA like it was before Lincoln"...

    86. Re: "I have friends who own coal mines..." by careysub · · Score: 2

      Non-rich person says that rich people do not pay enough in taxes.

      Ideological Troll says: "You are just envious of the rich! You could never get rich yourself! You just want OTHER PEOPLE to pay more taxes!"

      Very, very rich person says that rich people do no pay enough in taxes.

      Ideological Troll says: "Then why don't you just pay more yourself?"

      To Ideological Troll no one ever has standing to say rich people should pay more in taxes. But oddly, anyone has standing to say they should pay less.

      --
      Starships were meant to fly, Hands up and touch the sky - Nicky Minaj
    87. Re: "I have friends who own coal mines..." by Zontar+The+Mindless · · Score: 1

      If you see sarcasm, condescension, or vitriol in that post, then perhaps you need to clean your glasses.

      --
      Il n'y a pas de Planet B.
    88. Re:"I have friends who own coal mines..." by Zontar+The+Mindless · · Score: 1

      Newer autos are better then last decade's autos, and being more fuel efficient is one driving force behind this.

      Yes, and they've also become black boxes that owners can no longer maintain by themselves, and they transmit your data no matter where you go. It's a bit like riding around in a smartphone with wheels.

      --
      Il n'y a pas de Planet B.
    89. Re: "I have friends who own coal mines..." by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      > Car companies are free to produce vehicles that exceed the economy figures

      And yet, they don't. I need to replace my Honda that has 300K miles on it. Should have done it years ago, but I can't find a car that meets my standards. My primary standard is gas mileage: I want at least 60MPG, and if it's a hybrid, I want it to be a plug-in hybrid. There's no technical barrier here. The car companies simply don't want to sell the kind of car I want to buy. They want to fleece people who buy on emotion. I won't participate in that game.

      My only hope of getting the car I want was for the standards to finally drag the car companies into making a modest profit (instead of an obscene profit) on cars that people want (instead of the ones they push on the market). People buy what's available because they need a car. I don't know very many people who are really pleased with the design choices. The people I know who really like their car are people who have bought a story.

    90. Re:"I have friends who own coal mines..." by Plus1Entropy · · Score: 1

      The price of oil is dropping

      Uhh... what?

      The price of oil is still rebounding from the low in 2015. It fell drastically at that time because the Saudis overproduced like crazy in order to drive higher cost producers out of business.

      I don't see how you can look at this and say that the price of oil is dropping. I expect it will eventually climb back above $100/barrel.

      --
      Only crack the nuts that crack. You don't put the ones that don't crack in the sack.
    91. Re: "I have friends who own coal mines..." by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      So why get all up in California's business if it wants to have tighter regulations?
      Probably because they don't live there

    92. Re: "I have friends who own coal mines..." by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Oh great. Another forced to buy stuff post. The cars no one wants failed. Look them up.

      I drive a 911 turbo because it is insanely fun to drive and beautiful. I live in the mountains and there are tracks close by too. For me a car isn't an appliance that has to be super efficient.

      Enjoy your life in the way you want.

    93. Re:"I have friends who own coal mines..." by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I'd prefer not be living in a desert surrounded by wildfires, with no fuel or water, wondering about the shortsightedness of a plan to actually try and do something about the massively warming climate. I mean, heck it's only been 30 years since we figured out there may be a problem.

    94. Re: "I have friends who own coal mines..." by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Hey I remember that article. A lot of people were commenting about using an AeroPress. What method did you post about? I love coffee.

    95. Re:"I have friends who own coal mines..." by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Your right it is a mater of degrees
      if food increases by 400% and water increases by 1000% and insurance increases by 500%
      does it matter if the cost of your car has increased by 100%?
      We are past the point of piddling around the edges , wringing our hands going, but it might cost more.
      The other kinda essential stuff like food, air and water are going to cost a shit load more because of the increase in global temperatures.
      50C (122F) days, mean you die if you have a relatively long exposure even in shade
      If you have it even ever 2 years, it means there are huge tracts of once fertile land you cant farm any more.
      You can't plant anything if the ground is rock hard
      If you can't grow crops, you can't feed animals, so you don't get any meat
      If you have a continually expanding population, and a reduced farming area , prices will go through the roof
      We have done nothing concrete to even try and reduce greenhouse gasses all because it might cost more

    96. Re:"I have friends who own coal mines..." by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Funny how concepts like States' Rights lose their importance when you don't like what the States are doing - but are a useful cover when you want to, say, destroy unions - or pander to racist voters.

      1. A person has minimum rights guaranteed by the constitution.

      2. A collection of people, be it a city or state should generally be able to add laws and rules on top of that, provided they do not conflict with the rights guaranteed by (1).

      3. I'm guessing the commerce clause is what is going on here, but I see nothing wrong with a person in California being able to buy a car that doesn't meet California emissions standards. Its not really a commerce issue. I'd assume California could just forbid registering the car and getting plates since it fundamentally can't meet California emissions and related standards.

      California has a right to set tougher emissions standards, since it isn't an interstate commerce issue. Anyone can make cars that meet those standards. Put another way, the EPA recently made it easier to get glider trucks (sp?). Basically they are big trucks with built with old engines without significant pollution controls. If California isn't allowed to set any rules, then everyone in a city could buy one of those to get around and you'd have Beijing quality air in no time.

      Basically by disallowing increased standards you would be potentially eventually destroying cities, or at least severely harming them. Right now where I am, the air quality is supposed to be orange tomorrow, and I've seen a few reds this year. Orange is unhealthy for sensitive people. Red is just unhealthy and there are apparently a couple of worse levels.

      Trump is supposed to serve the interests of the people of the united states of america. All I'm seeing is corporate interests and his pocket. If we have to destroy America to make it great, count me out. I'd rather be able to breath clean air.

    97. Re: "I have friends who own coal mines..." by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I'm going to burn more gasoline today because...well, just because FUUUUCK YOU!!!

      Fascist fuck!

    98. Re: "I have friends who own coal mines..." by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You can only dream of the wealth this country has created.

    99. Re: "I have friends who own coal mines..." by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If only standard oil understood politics better and the public cared as much then as they do now

    100. Re: "I have friends who own coal mines..." by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Really????? What a load of garbage. This absolutely untrue.

    101. Re: "I have friends who own coal mines..." by bigfinger76 · · Score: 1

      It's the wilfully ignorant trolling that irks me.

    102. Re:"I have friends who own coal mines..." by aybiss · · Score: 1

      Bullshit. This may affect a small number of people's choices, but take a look outside at all the SUVs less than 10 years old driving down the street. Those people can afford to pay double the price of a normal car AND double the price to run it for the lifetime of the vehicle.

      --
      It's OK Bender, there's no such thing as 2.
    103. Re: "I have friends who own coal mines..." by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Remember, it's okay for Amazon to force efficiencies through cruelty to actual people, but not okay for government to force efficiencies through regulations on abstract fictional entities called corporations.

    104. Re: "I have friends who own coal mines..." by Lonewolf666 · · Score: 2

      The Toyota Prius, plug in version, reaches your 60MPG or comes at least close to it, depending on which number (all electric, hybrid mode) you use. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_Prius_Plug-in_Hybrid
      Even if it does not quite meet your standards, Toyota made a good effort here and I'd have no moral worries about driving one of them. Unless you have some mass transit nearby for your daily commuting, then that might be easier in the environment.

      --
      C - the footgun of programming languages
    105. Re: "I have friends who own coal mines..." by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No, they would have given dividends. Apple just hoards money. Government's will tax and fine them and all that money will be gone because they wanted a higher stock price rather than produce actual shareholder value.

    106. Re: "I have friends who own coal mines..." by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Ya because we should leave our best interests in the hands of the free market! And then bail them out any time they fuck up. Right?

    107. Re: "I have friends who own coal mines..." by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You pretty much explained why the trumpeteers are such ignorant people. If you want to make a point by destroying your own country you behave like a child. There is a reason why children can't vote.

    108. Re: "I have friends who own coal mines..." by Barsteward · · Score: 1

      we were talking about the fuel economy of ICE vehicles as they are the ones that burn fossil fuel

      --
      "The hands that help are better far than lips that pray." - Robert Ingersoll (1833-1899)
    109. Re: "I have friends who own coal mines..." by Barsteward · · Score: 1

      yes, but Trump wants more "exports" to the EU, not locally made EU vehicles

      --
      "The hands that help are better far than lips that pray." - Robert Ingersoll (1833-1899)
    110. Re:"I have friends who own coal mines..." by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      OK, then I'll add some economics 101:

      In mass production of consumer (not luxury) products, then the more you spend on a product, then the more you profit on it, but you lower the percent of profit for it. It goes for nearly every industry (for instance in the food industry: Dominos spend less on a pizza, and make a profit, while a quality restaurant will spend much more on a pizza and make much more yet in percentages of investment will make less), and it's safe to assume that economies of scale work similarly. It's why companies end up sticking to USB2 despite upgrading to a USB Type-C backed by a modern standard would cost under a dollar more; when dealing with scales, you are looking at percentages of profit, not at profits per unit. I have no doubt that making vehicles more fuel efficient will require a higher cost for parts and production; I also think that it would increase the per-unit profit. I also know that keeping manufacturing lean and having a higher percent of return on investment is a much higher priority as it keeps the shareholders happy and give an edge over the race-to-the-bottom type vehicles.

      Now, you might say that "but for fuel economy that is different" and so on. I've lived through the 80s and 90s to hear that exact same argument be made for vehicle safety and things like seat belts and later airbags. We all know that eventually we'll get there because it's downright silly not to do something that benefits everyone when it really isn't that expensive. I understand where you're coming from, but let's say that these things increase the cost of manufacturing a car by 10%, then they will increase the price by 7% (that 7% of price being bigger than the 10% of cost), despite the percentages probably being less than half those numbers... You know those numbers are going to continue dropping and eventually will be cheap enough for your arguments to be downright silly. So, why delay? Are the shareholders that important to you?

    111. Re: "I have friends who own coal mines..." by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      A company throwing its garbage in the neighborhood river have got lower cost than one doing it conscientiously. BUT the cost of the former is higher for the whole society. This is the same here. The cost is displaced on the (world) society as a whole. I, for one, wish that every other country place very high taxes based on pollution of the company as a whole.

    112. Re: "I have friends who own coal mines..." by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Maybe, He should try to sell it to his friends countries: NK, Russia, ... Nice market perspective.

    113. Re: "I have friends who own coal mines..." by h33t+l4x0r · · Score: 1

      It's even worse than that. Many of his supporters are end-of-times-hopeful evangelicals who actively pursue an apocalyptic endgame.

    114. Re: "I have friends who own coal mines..." by e0b521bb9d0246d0b619 · · Score: 1

      > Therefore your entire premise is wrong.

      And you're dishonest. No corporation is going to produce a more efficient vehicle, because it costs money to do that research which eats into their profit. This is why governments need to exist, why government regulations need to exist, and why libertarianism is nonsense: it is necessary to force companies to do the right thing.

      Unfortunately, when you get corrupt governments that abuse this power to benefit themselves, you have a problem. But I wonder who the libertarians voted for in 2016, hmmm?

    115. Re: "I have friends who own coal mines..." by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Itâ(TM)s not entirely a personal choice when the atmosphere is a shared resource. Your point would be more valid for a car safety issue, I suppose.

    116. Re: "I have friends who own coal mines..." by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Standard hybrids have such tiny batteries it wouldnâ(TM)t be worth turning them into a plug-in.

    117. Re: "I have friends who own coal mines..." by phantomfive · · Score: 1

      You can see it right there, in the "we"

      --
      "First they came for the slanderers and i said nothing."
    118. Re: "I have friends who own coal mines..." by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Utterly wrong. Efficiency is 3-4 times bigger EVEN IF you are running an oil powered grid ENTIRELY. Which nobody does.

    119. Re: "I have friends who own coal mines..." by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Every single one of those voters are now becoming intimately familiar with the meaning of "You'd cut off your nose to spite your face." What a goddamn shitshow they've saddled on themselves.

    120. Re: "I have friends who own coal mines..." by thegarbz · · Score: 1

      Long ago i had read a study that said the German electricity grid produced so much greenhouse gasses that using a modern diesel car was less worse than driving an electrical one.

      The study sounds like it was worthless from the get go. Even worst case scenarios of full on 60s era coal plants everywhere make driving an electric car cleaner than diesel / petrol. But we're not in worst case scenarios. Germany had a large nuclear base and even in the early 90s a not insignificant share of gas, and alternative sources.

      But that was then. This is now, a country where 44% of production last year generated no CO2 emissions, mostly due to renewables, but also significantly due to nuclear. And they still have a good 14% on top of that in nat gas too.

      I think you should find the study and figure out who commissioned it. David Koch perhaps?

    121. Re:"I have friends who own coal mines..." by thegarbz · · Score: 1

      If it reduced air pollution by .1% but increased the cost of cars by 100%, then that's inefficient

      Nope, that's very efficient. Make cars too expensive to buy and run and see the wonderful changes that will happen to your society as a result. America may no longer be great again as people generally will lose a bit of flab if they dare to walk or cycle somewhere. Public transport will improve, people will adapt. Cars will become smaller (we already saw that happening during the last fuel price hike), but it will be sad to see America lose its crown as one of the least energy efficient countries per capita in the world.

      I just finished a long drive. It's Friday. I don't need to travel internationally for another 10 days, so my car is probably going to go unused for that time. It's a great time of year to be on a bike, metro, train, bus, tram, walk, or heck I may even rollerblade off to do my shopping.

    122. Re: "I have friends who own coal mines..." by c6gunner · · Score: 1

      And you're dishonest. No corporation is going to produce a more efficient vehicle, because it costs money to do that research which eats into their profit.

      Exactly. This is why vehicle designs haven't changed at all since 1912. Costs too much to research stuff.

    123. Re:"I have friends who own coal mines..." by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I enjoy driving.

    124. Re:"I have friends who own coal mines..." by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I'm 99% with you, but what are your thoughts on Islam and Muslims?

    125. Re: "I have friends who own coal mines..." by Zontar+The+Mindless · · Score: 1

      My preferred method is the humble plunger-pot.

      --
      Il n'y a pas de Planet B.
    126. Re: "I have friends who own coal mines..." by Zontar+The+Mindless · · Score: 2

      He ran for an elected office. He got elected. He's been conducting his re-election campaign since before he actually took office. He's a politician.

      --
      Il n'y a pas de Planet B.
    127. Re: "I have friends who own coal mines..." by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Piss off you worthless shit. Jesus, the amount of undeserved arrogance dripping off you makes DJT seem humble by comparison.

    128. Re: "I have friends who own coal mines..." by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yep. Have had several sports cars. They're fun. A lot of the hypermiling shoe drivers have to have some of the most boring lives in existence.

      Live people. Stop beong misers about everything and killing the enjoyment of life.

    129. Re: "I have friends who own coal mines..." by aquacrayfish · · Score: 1

      I was going to say, you can see it in 'Anonymous Coward'.

    130. Re:"I have friends who own coal mines..." by aquacrayfish · · Score: 1

      Yes, energy is required to be put into a system in order to get something out. I don't think that's an argument for doing nothing.

    131. Re: "I have friends who own coal mines..." by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Own 100+ businesses. Of those, 94+ employ tens of thousands while 6 fail after employing hundreds. Pretty good job.

    132. Re: "I have friends who own coal mines..." by Joce640k · · Score: 1

      Smart people are often also affluent. They can buy a Tesla. That's what I did...

      And... Trump's fixing it so your electricity comes from coal.

      --
      No sig today...
    133. Re:"I have friends who own coal mines..." by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      All those oil billionaires who financed Trump's campaign are getting their payback.

      Citation please? I was under the impression that Trump specifically stated for people not to give him campaign donations (though some sent him money anyway).

    134. Re: "I have friends who own coal mines..." by Jahoda · · Score: 1

      I know buddy. You believe your right to pollute is greater than my right to not breathe the stink of your offgassing. Fortunately, that's where government steps in. How frustrating it must be for you to know that this is another emtpy and meaningless gesture by Orange Santa Claus and that even I spite of regulatory capture will amount to nothing. Such a salty little conservative!

    135. Re: "I have friends who own coal mines..." by drinkypoo · · Score: 4, Insightful

      This is a dumb argument. If Warren Buffet sends in a gift to reduce the debt, that will just be used as an excuse to borrow more, and they'll hand the money to corporations and/or the military. But if taxes are raised, then rich people who don't want their taxes spent that way will complain about how tax money is spent, and since only rich people really have a meaningful vote in our oligarchy, that may actually result in the money being spent more wisely.

      Unfortunately, too many of the poor don't comprehend graduated taxation, so they don't support raising taxes on the rich. And so it goes.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    136. Re:"I have friends who own coal mines..." by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      Most did not vote for him because they like him, but because they hate the utter hypocrisy, corruption, and inefficiency of the standard political class. [...] people have rational decisions as to why they do what they do.

      The problem with your argument is that there is nothing rational about voting for Trump because you are against hypocrisy, corruption, or inefficiency — because Trump's whole life has been based on those things. He says things about revering women, but he abuses them and has raped at least one, by definition if not conviction. He runs businesses into the ground deliberately in schemes which leave him holding the bag and his investors holding their dicks. And his repeated bankruptcies have cost us all money, due to the many court proceedings which decreased the efficiency of the legal system. Supporting Trump because you don't approve of the status quo is cutting off your face to spite your face. And the proof is in the pudding, because Trump voters are hurt most by Trump's policies.

      Trump voters want to believe that they are as intelligent as other voters, so they are defending their decision to vote for Trump to the bitter end in spite of the ample evidence that it was a terrible idea, since Trump as president is actually worse than the status quo. This is known as cognitive dissonance.

      I am not a Clinton fan. I am not even inclined to give her a pass on her email server. However, Trump is provably worse as president than Clinton would have been. He is literally a worse president than Richard Nixon.

      Trying to reach Trump voters who refuse to acknowledge reality is a fat waste of time. The goal now is to reach people who didn't bother to vote, and convince them to vote against Trump to avoid more of this shit-show.

      TL;DR: Voting for Trump because you don't like corruption is goddamned stupid, and no amount of polishing makes a turd into a diamond.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    137. Re:"I have friends who own coal mines..." by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      This is a dumb point. Upgrading to a newer car prematurely causes more pollution. Most of the pollution a car causes is from its manufacture. You could reduce pollution more by making it easier and cheaper to repair cars.

    138. Re: "I have friends who own coal mines..." by doconnor · · Score: 1

      Would they have for Sanders over Trump, if they had the opportunity?

    139. Re: "I have friends who own coal mines..." by Zontar+The+Mindless · · Score: 1

      Recognition of one's own exceptional abilities is not arrogance. Failure to recognise and to act ethically on the responsibility to others that goes along with them is.

      --
      Il n'y a pas de Planet B.
    140. Re: "I have friends who own coal mines..." by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Its a shame that VW inadvertently killed the diesel. A 1.5 liter 3 or 4 cylinder diesel mated to a hybrid system in a small two door hatch would have given tremendous fuel economy.

    141. Re: "I have friends who own coal mines..." by sound+vision · · Score: 1

      It becomes so blasé that people start forgetting how prevalent and big these things ate.

    142. Re:"I have friends who own coal mines..." by Zontar+The+Mindless · · Score: 1
      --
      Il n'y a pas de Planet B.
    143. Re:"I have friends who own coal mines..." by Zontar+The+Mindless · · Score: 1

      Back in the day, we could say, ""Nixon's a crook, but at least we know he's our crook."

      Trump is an even bigger crook, and completely fails the "our" part.

      --
      Il n'y a pas de Planet B.
    144. Re:"I have friends who own coal mines..." by foghelmut · · Score: 1

      Car companies will charge what the market will bear, fuel economy tech be damned.

    145. Re:"I have friends who own coal mines..." by Zontar+The+Mindless · · Score: 1

      So do I. But I enjoy being able to go anywhere in the metro for roughly $85/month even more.

      --
      Il n'y a pas de Planet B.
    146. Re:"I have friends who own coal mines..." by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Neat

    147. Re:"I have friends who own coal mines..." by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Then fight the supremacy clause. The 10th amendment is only in play when the Constitution doesn't provide for a guideline from the fed, then the states can undertake. Stop being an ignorant stooge.

    148. Re: "I have friends who own coal mines..." by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      And you seriously believe Trump meant that? Ha ha ha ha!

    149. Re: "I have friends who own coal mines..." by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      It's bitztream the autism-hating, custom EpiPen-hating, Musk-hating, Qualcomm-hating, Firefox tabs-hating, Slashdot editors-hating Slashdot troll!

    150. Re: "I have friends who own coal mines..." by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      USA cars sold in Europe are overwhelmingly made in Europe and asia, and like models are generally not made in the USA anyway.

    151. Re: "I have friends who own coal mines..." by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yes. More oil money for mother Russia. It's almost as if his meeting in Finland was to receive orders from Putin.

    152. Re:"I have friends who own coal mines..." by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      WTF is this modded offtopic? Looks like a very suitable response to me...

    153. Re: "I have friends who own coal mines..." by Zontar+The+Mindless · · Score: 1

      Yes, this, because research whose outcome generates increased corporate profits is exactly the same as research whose outcome generates benefits to consumers.

      --
      Il n'y a pas de Planet B.
    154. Re:"I have friends who own coal mines..." by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You are not at all clever.

    155. Re:"I have friends who own coal mines..." by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      New cars take energy and release toxins to manufacture.

      Only roughly a third or less of a vehicle's lifetime energy expenditure is in production, on average.

      Old cars take energy to dispose of.

      That's why we should make them all out of Aluminum. It costs more [energy] to produce than steel, but it's sufficiently cheaper to recycle that you save money by the first time you recycle it. It's also easier to stamp, so tooling lasts longer.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    156. Re: "I have friends who own coal mines..." by kenh · · Score: 1

      Minimum mileage standards in no way limit the ability of auto manufacturers to produce cars with higher miles per gallon.

      As an extreme example, the rollback does not impair Tesla's ability to produce cars with infinite MPG ratings.

      --
      Ken
    157. Re:"I have friends who own coal mines..." by lsatenstein · · Score: 1

      Trump will do the roll back. People know better and are going to ask for more, not less gas mileage.

      Canadians will switch from American made cars to Toyota, Hyunda, Honda, Kia, BMW, to cars that are NOT MANUFACTURED IN THE USA. When I was young, the day after a snow storm, the snow was coated with black suet from car exhausts. Today, a week after a storm, the surface of the snow is just beginning to show suet. And my lungs are clean

      --
      Leslie Satenstein Montreal Quebec Canada
    158. Re: "I have friends who own coal mines..." by Zontar+The+Mindless · · Score: 1

      Forgot to mention that The Donald's been nibbling around the edges of Presidential politics for the better part of 20 years. If you think he's an "outsider", then you're no doubt ready to hear about some nice ocean-front property in Arizona that I'd like to sell you at a fantastic price. It's the BEST of its kind anywhere in the state!

      --
      Il n'y a pas de Planet B.
    159. Re:"I have friends who own coal mines..." by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You are not at all clever.

      Leftists are not clever or they would not be Leftists.

  2. BS... by b0s0z0ku · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Modern safety features like stability control, auto-braking, and collision warning add minimum weight and don't affect economy. This is a 1980s way of thinking -- build a safety-box that takes a hit well but doesn't prevent crashes.

    1. Re:BS... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      A 2018 Honda Civic is 500lbs heavier and gets worse mileage than a 1998 Civic.

    2. Re:BS... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      The administration was not talking about the weight of the safety boxes. Instead they were saying that if the cost of vehicles increases due to improved fuel efficiency, new cars will cost more. It so happens that new cars have all these great new safety features, yet if they cost more, less people will buy them, and we will be stuck with more old-tech cars on the roads.

    3. Re:BS... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Just because you're 500 lbs heavier 20 years later doesn't mean the car is 500 lbs heavier.
      (That was a joke)

      Now, I'm not saying what you said is false, but if you want someone to believe you you're going to need to provide a citation.
      (That was not a joke)

    4. Re:BS... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      This is not what is argued. It has nothing to do with extra weight, it has to do with an increased cost to produce and purchase when forced by those emission standards. Therefor fewer newer cars are sold and less people will have cars with modern safety features. As a result less safe roads.

      At least that is how I read the argument.

    5. Re:BS... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Well, DUH - a midsize is generally going to get worse mileage than a subcompact. Did you assume the car stayed the same size over twenty years? A four door 1998 Civic is a subcompact, and a 4 door 2018 civic is a midsize. In similar tests, the 1998 averaged 34, and the midsize 2018 averaged 35mpg. Quityourbullshit.

    6. Re:BS... by HornWumpus · · Score: 1

      There were 3 models of civic in 98, only the hatch was anywhere close to a _sub_compact. A geo metro is a 'subcompact'. Civic no?

      Midsize? No, still a compact.

      --
      John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
    7. Re:BS... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      A 1998 Civic, as you don't recall apparently, was a tiny little tin can that 2 high school line backers could pickup and move with their bare hands. Civics today are nearly full size cars.

      I had a 1982 Honda Accord, it was small and cramped, even smaller than the 1998 Civics you seem to have forgotten about. But today's Accords are full size roomy cars.

    8. Re:BS... by jitterbug · · Score: 4, Informative

      The EPA millage of an old car can't be compared directly with a new one as the EPA standards have changed.

      As an example, I found that 1998 Honda Civic 1.6 L, 4 cyl, Automatic 4-spd Original combined EPA rating 32 mpg.
      From this web site: https://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/comparempg.shtml
      The new EPA rating is only 28mpg

      New 2018 Civics get better than this.

    9. Re:BS... by b0s0z0ku · · Score: 1

      Bullshit. Make a hybrid Fit... 80 mpg and under 20 grand. It's about not building as many 300 hp trucks, muscle cars, and SUVs. Yep. We need more "wimp" cars -- wimpiness is nothing to be ashamed of.

    10. Re:BS... by drinkypoo · · Score: 1, Informative

      Modern safety features like stability control, auto-braking, and collision warning add minimum weight and don't affect economy.

      All wrong. Adding minimum weight does affect economy. However, once you have ABS (which does add weight... to the tune of maybe twenty pounds of pump/valve unit and longer lines, and five pounds or less of control box) it takes very little additional weight to implement ESC, or AEB. And you can do collision warning with the same hardware that does AEB.

      This is a 1980s way of thinking -- build a safety-box that takes a hit well but doesn't prevent crashes.

      AEB does prevent crashes, some of them anyway. So does ESC, since it helps drivers maintain control of vehicles in slippery conditions. You really got it completely wrong.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    11. Re:BS... by b0s0z0ku · · Score: 1

      Reread my post. I was saying that those things DO prevent crashes and don't add much weight. We agree.

    12. Re:BS... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Nota Bene - a brand new Ram 1500 basic model has a 305hp 3.6L V6 engine, but gets ~25mpg (Chevrolet, GMC, and Ford have similar models with similar stats on their own base-level V6 offerings), and SUVs are often quite similar (or better but with lower horsepower ratings), so you can quit picking on trucks and SUVs now.

    13. Re:BS... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Saving weight (and increasing mpg) by removing metal (no matter how well-engineered your crumple zones are) reduces safety - either by making the metal thinner, or by removing braces, or by making connectors (bolts, rivets, welds) smaller/thinner (thus weaker).

      Saving weight but keeping the same/similar modicum of safety by moving to more exotic metals (e.g. Ford Trucks now using aluminum instead of steel throughout most of the body), creates more potential safety/integrity issues that need solved (e.g. corrosion where aluminum meets steel), creates an inferior product (see also Chevy's YouTube video showing how easy it is to puncture a new Ford pickup bed) and the finished product ends up costing more (aluminum is more difficult to weld, it is weaker than steel so there's more engineering required, etc). All of this adds up to a higher cost, which in turn is rolled into the price.

    14. Re:BS... by prisoner-of-enigma · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Bullshit. Make a hybrid Fit... 80 mpg and under 20 grand.

      If there was enough demand for such a vehicle and automakers could produce it without losing money, why do you suppose they're not voluntarily producing such a vehicle? OH! That's right, there isn't sufficient demand for such a vehicle! There is, however, demand for trucks, SUV's, and muscle cars because people exercise their economic free will and choose to purchase such vehicles.

      We obviously can't have people deciding for themselves what they want, right? Far better for the government to tell them what they want and force them to accept it, right? Forget that whole "freedom" thing! You're obviously too stupid to know what's best for you, therefore you must be dictated to by an elite group of government busybodies, people who won't be discommoded in the slightest by such decisions because they exempt themselves from them.

      --
      In the end they will lay their freedom at our feet and say to us, Make us your slaves, but feed us. - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
    15. Re:BS... by BronsCon · · Score: 1

      Adding to that, less decrease in overall vehicle emissions than if a slightly smaller reduction in emissions were mandated, which could be implemented without as much cost, leading to more people buying the newer, more efficient (than their old vehicle, even if not by as much as current standards) vehicles, rather than keeping their old one or buying a less efficient used vehicle.

      Someone else said it earlier, I'll paraphrase here: Would you rather replace 5% of vehicles with new vehicles with 20% better efficiency (a 1% net improvement), or 20% of vehicles with new vehicles with 10% better efficiency (a 2% net improvement)?

      From your post, I'm confident you'd prefer the latter. People who oppose this seem to prefer the former, probably because they don't understand math.

      --
      APK quotes people (including myself) without context and should not be trusted. Just thought you should know.
    16. Re:BS... by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      Reread my post. I was saying that those things DO prevent crashes and don't add much weight. We agree.

      In that case, sorry about that, although it was unclear. I didn't read the post above it.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    17. Re:BS... by unimacs · · Score: 1

      It's a shaky argument. The best selling vehicles right now are pickups and SUVs which people are already paying a premium for and are sold at high margins. If the cost of all vehicles goes up due to fuel economy regulations then some people might opt to buy less expensive vehicles rather than not getting a vehicle at all, or the automakers might have to sell them at lower margins.

      And of course the argument ignores the health and safety risks associated with pumping more CO2 into the atmosphere.

    18. Re:BS... by sexconker · · Score: 1

      Hey look, someone who read and understood the argument!

      I don't know if the argument is true. It makes sense, but I haven't seen how the numbers wash out. However, the people bitching here don't even understand the argument.

    19. Re:BS... by b0s0z0ku · · Score: 1

      Make the engine and transmission smaller. 150+ hp in a grocery getter is just stupid. Skip the electric/power everything -- are modern humans really so disabled as to not be able to slide a seat back on their own?

    20. Re:BS... by b0s0z0ku · · Score: 2

      US is getting the Fit Hybrid in 2019-20. Other countries where the price of fuel accurately reflects costs to the environment already have it.

    21. Re:BS... by sexconker · · Score: 1

      A hybrid Fit model would be over 20 grand easily. The regular Fit gets up there if you choose anything but the bare bones, poor person package.

      Honda tried a pure electric Fit in (model year) 2014, but they abandoned it.

    22. Re:BS... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The argument has nothing to do with weight.

      If a company will spend $x on a vehicle, and 20% of $x goes to fuel economy development, Trump assumes that's -20% of $x that was going to safety development.

      The argument is somewhat accurate, but it is not nearly as clear cut as that.

    23. Re:BS... by b0s0z0ku · · Score: 2

      Oooooooh. 25 MPG. That's great!

      Talk to me when they make 50 mpg, similar to a 4-door hybrid sedan or station wagon.

      305hp for hauling around some people and groceries? Do people really need that?

      Yes, I get that people who work on construction or tow need pickups, but that's probably 5-10% of the population.

    24. Re:BS... by _Sharp'r_ · · Score: 1

      You realize that pickups and SUVs already fall under a different, easier to meet classification than cars do, right?

      The fact that they are the best selling vehicles right now actually helps prove the argument to stop the ever increasing spiral of tougher to meet regulations which can't be met without expensive new technology which doesn't currently exist in production cars, not make it "shaky".

      --
      The party of stupid and the party of evil get together and do something both stupid and evil, then call it bipartisan.
    25. Re:BS... by b0s0z0ku · · Score: 1

      What do you really need that's not in the "bare bones, poor person" package? Most of these packages have more features than fully-loaded cars did even 20 years ago.

      Hybrid drive should add $2000 or so to the cost, maybe even less since it allows for a simpler transmission than even a manual (torque-split CVT).

    26. Re:BS... by d0rp · · Score: 1

      That's how I read it too, but how much of the increased cost of the newer vehicles is attributed to engineering costs of (a) improving fuel efficiency versus (b) all those new fancy safety features (as well as other luxury features that are all becoming "standard" in vehicles these days)... I'd argue that those new features are as much a factor, if not more so.

    27. Re:BS... by flynnieous · · Score: 1

      The civic was considered a subcompact up through the 2000 model. The 2001 model had more interior room than its predecessor, and so was reclassified a compact. The exterior dimensions did increase, peaking in the late 00's. Today, the smallest 2018 civic is 2" longer and 4" wider than the largest 1998 civic was.

    28. Re:BS... by unimacs · · Score: 1

      The argument they are try to make is that the added expense of designing and building more fuel efficient vehicles means that more people won't be able to afford them and will therefore buy less. That would lead to the mix of cars on the road being less safe since fewer of them would have modern safety features. Correct?

      The argument I'm making is that the most popular vehicles sold today are at the higher end of the cost scale and sold at higher margins than those at the lower end. In other words, people are choosing to buy more expensive vehicles anyway. If prices go up, the buying public may purchase just as many vehicles but opt for less expensive models, fewer options, or, heaven forbid, automakers might have to eat some of the costs, - which is the real issue here. Let's not kid ourselves.

      But lets look at history rather than just guessing. Have CAFE standards inhibited new cars sales? The number of cars per driver in the US has been climbing more or less steadily since 1960. https://www.schroders.com/ru/s...

      Economic ups and downs have had an impact. Fuel economy standards, - not really. There is a feeling that millennial attitudes towards driving and car ownership may bring the number down. That's not completely unrelated to the cost of owning and operating a vehicle but the relative cost difference that higher efficiency standards make is not likely a factor. In fact, you could make the argument that millennials would prefer to buy more efficient vehicles.

      The fact that utility vehicles are held to a much lower efficiently standard is definitely a problem. Just wait until the next spike in gas prices and the lack of foresight exhibited in this proposal from the white house will become readily apparent.

    29. Re:BS... by unimacs · · Score: 1

      Something else to consider. The average price of a new vehicle sold in the US is about $36,000. Tesla's base Model 3 will supposedly sell for $35,000. Note that they currently aren't offering the base model and it's an open question whether Tesla can turn a profit selling those cars. However, the Chevy Bolt sells for $36,000 with a 238 mile range.

      Workhorse will be selling a plugin electric pickup with an 80 mile electric range for about $50,000. Much more expensive than a Chevy Silverado, but with existing incentives the price of the Workhorse comes down to $42,500. If you add up the cost savings of fuel over the life of the vehicle I'm sure it still comes out to be more expensive, but not ridiculously so.

      My point is that the technology does currently exist in production vehicles and will only get better. You could further incentivize the industry rather than relax standards to get us there faster but the White House is more interested in catering to the fossil fuel industry.

    30. Re:BS... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Comparing the same name car from 20 years ago is a dumb. The new Civic is the size of a 20 year old Accord. The Honda Fit is a more similar size to the old Civic. Compare the same size car instead and you will find that modern cars get substantially better fuel economy and have much better safety ratings than cars from previous decades or similar size.

    31. Re:BS... by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      corrosion where aluminum meets steel

      You do know that Honda figured out how to solve this problem back in 1991 for the NSX, and Audi followed up in 1994 with the A8, right? You use passivated fasteners, which oddly enough are not actually significantly more expensive than any other coated fastener used in automotive applications — even when purchased from Audi. I know, because I have a 1998 A8 Quattro, and have done fairly extensive work on it. There is no corrosion visible anywhere on the vehicle, beyond non-cancerous surface rust on the ferrous spindles. (Facelifted vehicles, 2001+, have Aluminum spindles to reduce front weight.) You can also use zinc anti-seize compound; the zinc is consumed first, and protects the other metals.

      see also Chevy's YouTube video showing how easy it is to puncture a new Ford pickup bed

      See also any Chevy truck, which has a shitload of corrosion on it. I'd rather just not deliberately do a bunch of unrealistic drop tests and then show only a subset of them.

      aluminum is more difficult to weld, it is weaker than steel so there's more engineering required, etc

      Aluminum is not weaker than steel; gram for gram, it is stronger. Further, it is easier to stamp than steel, so it's actually cheaper to work because your tooling lasts longer. Finally, it is dramatically more recyclable than steel. Every time you recycle steel it gets harder. You can mitigate this by adding in the things that are lost in the process (like carbon) but that both costs money and does not in fact restore the material to its original condition. This is part of why the Japanese ate our lunch so badly in the 1980s, besides of course American automakers really just not even trying for some reason. The harder steel could be stamped into thinner body panels which were just as strong as the virgin mild steel that American cars were made out of. The only drawback is that the milder steel is easier to repair; the advantages are everything else. It's harder to deform in a crash, so it improved crash safety. It's lighter, which improves everything. And it was cheaper, of course.

      Aluminum, on the other hand, retains all of the properties of the original alloy when recycled. Achieving this does require careful sorting of alloys, which used to be a big drawback; but now we use laser spectroscopy to sort Aluminum scrap by alloy, and it is fast and cheap.

      Your first paragraph was correct. Everything else you said was bullshit because it was false, or bullshit because it was irrelevant.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    32. Re:BS... by sexconker · · Score: 1

      Need? Nothing. Then again you don't need a hybrid drive train adding more than 10% of the base cost to the car, that you then have to pay additional tax on.

    33. Re:BS... by b0s0z0ku · · Score: 1

      Say it raises average fuel economy from 35 to 50 mpg. That's 857 fewer gallons of fuel guzzled over a first ownership of 100,000 miles. At $3 per gallon, that's almost $2600 saved. Not bad for $2000 extra cost.

    34. Re:BS... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      They "adjusted" the standards on old cars to make new cars and hybrids look better. Look at the Metro. I don't know a single person who drove that car and got less than 45 real-world mpg, and now that site says they all get mileage in the 30's.

    35. Re:BS... by prisoner-of-enigma · · Score: 1

      Seriously, the best you can do is ignore facts while shouting facts?

      This can't be true because government didn't require it. I mean, it's almost like the free market organically created a product to satisfy a demand, and we all know that's impossible without government mandating, regulating, or banning something.

      For those who can't figure it out, the above is sarcasm.

      --
      In the end they will lay their freedom at our feet and say to us, Make us your slaves, but feed us. - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
    36. Re:BS... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Tragedy of the Commons, dude. Until the users of fossil fuels pay the full cost of them (and when I see black smoke come from a truck diesel exhaust, I know there is a cost being imposed on all the rest of us) then I don't want to hear about "freedom". They're ripping off my god-given freedom to breath clean air.

    37. Re:BS... by BostonPilot · · Score: 1

      I leased the electric Fit. Would still have it if my daughter didn't crash it (into my car thus totaling both!).

      I think using the word "abandoned" gives the wrong message. The cars were universally loved by everyone I knew who had one. Honda did a limited build of only a couple thousand cars... They were all hand built compliance cars. But they were very very popular with the lessors (it was lease only, you couldn't buy them).

      I'm sure Honda lost a lot of money on each one, because hey, it was a compliance car. But now they may be bringing it back: https://cleantechnica.com/2018...

      If they can really build one for sale with 180 miles of range (the one we had was EPA 85 or so - not really enough for Boston in the winter) for $18,000 I would definitely buy one (or two ). They were a very good car.

    38. Re:BS... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The EPA didn't actually redo the tests for the older cars, they recognized that the newer standards were typically more difficult so they applied a fixed ratio to all existing data. I had a 94 civic and can confirm that I got upwards of 30mpg combined.

      What others have said is also true though, the new ones have stronger engines and there's always a bit of a tradeoff there.

  3. How can they be so fucking brain dead? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

    "Because newer vehicles have advanced safety features, the administration argues, increasing fuel economy requirements therefore harms highway safety, as well as having economic effects."
    Really now ?

    1. Re:How can they be so fucking brain dead? by b0s0z0ku · · Score: 0

      See above -- most modern safety features don't add much weight or affect economy in any meaningful way.

    2. Re:How can they be so fucking brain dead? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The agencies say that increasing fuel efficiency requirements contributes to an increase in the cost of new cars and trucks, which may discourage consumers from buying new vehicles . Because newer vehicles have advanced safety features, the administration argues, increasing fuel economy requirements therefore harms highway safety, as well as having economic effects.

      Their reasoning is right there, plain as day. It's not about weight, it's about cost. I don't know how you managed to miss it.

      Do I agree with their reasoning? Honestly, I don't know. But if you want to convince them they are wrong, you need to counter their actual position instead of a made up one.

    3. Re:How can they be so fucking brain dead? by bws111 · · Score: 0

      New cars, with new safety features, are safer than old cars
      The higher the ratio of new-to-old cars, the safer the highways will be
      Fuel economy improvements drive up the price of cars
      Higher prices mean fewer people buying newer cars
      Fewer newer cars means more older cars, therefore decreasing safety.

      Was that really that hard to figure out? The entire reasoning is in the summary

    4. Re:How can they be so fucking brain dead? by BronsCon · · Score: 1

      Fewer newer cars means more older cars, therefore decreasing safety.

      It also means less overall improvement in emissions than if the standards were slightly less stringent and cheaper to implement.

      --
      APK quotes people (including myself) without context and should not be trusted. Just thought you should know.
    5. Re:How can they be so fucking brain dead? by unimacs · · Score: 1

      Or they buy the same number of cars they always have, but opt to spend money on cheaper models with fewer or less expensive options.

      Or maybe the car manufactures eat the costs and instead of making 2.6 billion of net profit in a quarter (https://www.freep.com/story/money/cars/general-motors/2018/04/26/general-motors-first-quarter-earnings-2018/552606002/), they make 2.2 billion.

  4. HAW HAW! by Thud457 · · Score: 3, Informative

    Enjoy your world burning to death stupid Earthicans!


    oh. wait. crap...

    --

    the preceding comment is my own and in no way reflects the opinion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

    1. Re:HAW HAW! by rally2xs · · Score: 1, Troll

      You seem to think that passing a law is going to do something great for the planet. It won't. There is absolutely no affordable alternative to burning fossil fuels right now, and for the foreseeable future. We don't need to "reduce" fossil fuel use, we need to stop, and leave them in the ground. No law is going to achieve that. Only determined men and women in white coats living in laboratories have a chance to do that. We don't know how to store electricity sufficiently to use in in automotive _or_ grid electrical usages. We just don't. When someone figures that out, then they have to figure out how to generate it without generating CO2. People keep hollering that nukes generate way too much CO2 by the concrete that is used for their construction - approx 400,000 cubic feet, but you know what? Those wind machines have a minimum of 250 cubic yards of concrete in each of their foundations, and so far there are 52,000 of them that equal about the same output, 8 gigawatts, as the largest nuke complex which is somewhere in Japan. There's supposedly 7 reactors in that one, so figure 2.8 million cubic yards of concrete, but the 52,000 wind machines already have 13 million cubic feet of concrete. The CO2 is released when concrete is manufactured and calcium carbonate, CaCO3 is reduced to lime and CO2, which gets vented. Maybe it could be sequestered, but that would likely dramatically raise the cost. But anyway, 8 Gigwatts isn't anywhere close to our grid usage right now, and if we add all our cars, trucks, ships, airplanes, railroad locomotives, and so forth, there would be a wind generator in every outdoor photograph taken in the borders of the USA including the National Parks.

      So, how to generate clean energy? We can't. Yet. Clean energy looks a lot like geothermal, but we'd have to be able to drill a hole deep enough pretty much everywhere, and we don't know how to drill that deeply yet.

      Meanwhile, this damned CAFE gov't meddling in the marketplace will have the usual results of making things more expensive. Making things more expensive creates poor people, costs the gov't in welfare payments, increases Federal gov't borrowing, and prevents those not in poverty from nevertheless buying new cars because they're too expensive. They keep the old ones that pollute more, get less gas mileage, and defeat the main objectives of cleaner and more efficient. Unintended consequences.

      The best thing to do is wait. There is absolutely huge incentive already to make electric cars work, as well as electric everything-else. Why? Becuase electricity is cheap compared to fossil fuels. If you could get a fully functional electric car, it would have a fuel cost equivalent of around low 1-dollar-a-gallon range. Maybe $1.12 / gallon equivalent for an electric. It would also have insane torque making it a virutal race car, and people would LOVE their electric cars, as long as they could do my 1st day of vacation this year, which was an 800 mile drive. Left Virginia, I think it was Arkansas where I first stopped, just short of Texas. Make electric cars that can do that, they'll sell like hotcakes and you won't need the gov't telling anyone what to do. The market will force it. And trying to tell people what to do before the science is ready to support it will just cause misery and probably make the air dirtier and burn more fossil fuels instead of less because of the old cars still on the road that wouldn't be if new ones weren't insanely expensive because they're electric before electric is ready.

    2. Re:HAW HAW! by Darinbob · · Score: 2

      People will argue about this until it runs out, and then because there was no planning we will see major collapses in parts of civilization. But since people are stupid and short sighted, what can you do other than hope the extraterrestrials will invade?

      To be honest, I haven't owned a car ever that would go 800 miles on a single fill up. But my current hybrid does have the longest range per fill up.

    3. Re:HAW HAW! by rally2xs · · Score: 1

      Nope. There's armies of scientists attempting to solve the battery and clean energy problems, and will eventually be successful, most probably. They DON'T need a bunch of meddlesome laws to do it. The incentive is already there, because they're going to be fabulously rich if they succeed. They are racing to be the 1st with the magic battery and the 100% efficient solar cell. Making a bunch of laws on the subject is more likely to screw things up than help.

    4. Re:HAW HAW! by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      There is absolutely no affordable alternative to burning fossil fuels right now, and for the foreseeable future.

      This is a lie, and willfully repeating it makes you party to the lie. For example, we have the technology to replace 100% of our transportation fuels with renewables from algae. Butanol is a 1:1 replacement for gasoline made by bacteria, and there are two corporations in the USA producing it in test batches. (One of them would have been selling it in bulk by now if not for being sued by the other one using an obvious patent developed at a public university, meaning partially with our tax money.) Green Diesel is what you get when you crack lipids in a fractional distillation column, in essentially the same process as is normally used to make fuel from petroleum. It can be made from animal or plant fats and it does not have the high gel point problems of biodiesel, and can be used in any diesel fuel system. The work of figuring out how to grow algae for biofuel was done at Sandia NREL in the 1980s. We have viable alternatives right now, but we are not using them. Instead, Big Oil has us on lockdown.

      So, how to generate clean energy? We can't. Yet.

      Another lie. Thin film solar panels last 10-20 years and repay their energy investment in under 3. PV panels would repay their energy investment in under 7 years back in the 1970s. Since the invention of the MPPT inverter, it has been feasible to build inexpensive storage arrays.

      The best thing to do is wait.

      If all you're going to do is gaze at your navel, at this point you might as well put your head down a little farther and kiss your ass goodbye.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    5. Re:HAW HAW! by BostonPilot · · Score: 1

      We probably won't see eye to eye on this... I live in Boston but used to travel to LA a few times a year. The California CAFE laws were definitely needed and definitely worked. The air pollution in LA was awful in the 80s. There's been a huge improvement. There is no way the automobile manufacturers would have produced cleaner cars without the CAFE laws.

      Like a lot of people, I'm concerned about CO2. If you don't believe in global warming you can probably stop reading now, but I personally do and think it's a question of survival of the human race (and unfortunately a lot of innocent species that had nothing to do with it).

      Right now Transportation, Electrical production, and Industry produce 75% of the greenhouse gasses. They're roughly equal contributors. (Transportation 28%, Electricity 28%, Industry 22%). A fairly large percentage of each could be brought way down if we set our minds to it.

      Some forms of transportation (I'm thinking aviation Jet fuel) don't have an obvious quick fix. However, a large percentage of automobiles and trucking could be converted in 1-2 decades if we start now and are aggressive.

      Electrical production is already moving towards renewables, and a lot of work on storing energy is making the renewables a workable solution. The pricing of energy production is driving us in that direction, so I think we'll continue to see an aggressive move towards renewables.

      Short haul trucking, likewise, will probably move rapidly towards BEV and hybrid solutions because of the economics. Bussing is another example where the economics are driving the transition towards electrifications.

      Passenger vehicles, however, are a weird case. The purchase decision is only partly influenced by economics. People want what they want. If for whatever reason they want a huge SUV like a Lincoln Navigator, or a Chevy Suburban, it's difficult to get them to choose a more eco friendly vehicle. I have a friend who has a Chevy Suburban which is used around town for errands. It weighs 7,500 pounds! By comparison our Chevy Volt weighs 3,800 pounds, and a Honda Fit weighs 2,650 pounds (1/3 of the weight of the Suburban).

      I have a friend who recently bought a 700 horsepower car. It will be used for commuting and running errands. I get it... it's a cool car and he's always wanted one like it.

      The question is, for those of us who believe in global warming, how do we get people to start making choices about their personal vehicles with an eye towards reduction of CO2? I really don't see a way without passing laws. Yes, eventually BEV will be so good that everybody will want one. But that's probably 3 decades away. I'm not convinced we have that much time as a species. So, how else do you influence people except by passing laws?

      Personally, I think we either should mandate improved mileage, or else tax people on the excess CO2 they're going to produce by choosing certain vehicles. That's a tough one to get right, and I'm open to suggestions, but doing nothing... I don't think that's wise.

    6. Re:HAW HAW! by rally2xs · · Score: 1

      There is absolutely no affordable alternative to burning fossil fuels right now, and for the foreseeable future.

      This is a lie, and willfully repeating it makes you party to the lie.

      It is a lie only in technical terms. When I said fossil fuels, I meant fuels for internal combustion engines. Biofuels simply use a biological process to act on organic matter to produce fuels containing carbon that are then burned in internal combustion engines and emit CO2. We have to stop emitting CO2. That means we're looking for total electrification.

      So, how to generate clean energy? We can't. Yet.

      Another lie. Thin film solar panels last 10-20 years and repay their energy investment in under 3. PV panels would repay their energy investment in under 7 years back in the 1970s. Since the invention of the MPPT inverter, it has been feasible to build inexpensive storage arrays.

      And solar is available for only a few hours a day and at peak efficiency only when the sun is unobstructed by clouds. At other times, we need (cheap) energy storage that we do not have. Therefore this methodology is currently unviable for replacing the common sources of electricity involving fossil or nuclear fuels.

      The best thing to do is wait.

      If all you're going to do is gaze at your navel, at this point you might as well put your head down a little farther and kiss your ass goodbye.

      Waiting means allowing all those scientists who are working furiously at the behest of the left's boogeyman, greed, to be the 1st to make electricity viable for all things currently fueled by fossil fuels or nuclear power. They are working furiously to find the magic battery, and they are working furiously to raise the efficiency and longevity of solar panels. If we wait for that, we're going to get it. Gov't action on this is most likely to simply get in their way. So doing nothing is doing something - Lee Iacocca said, "Lead, Follow, or Get Out Of The Way." Waiting would be getting out of the way.

    7. Re:HAW HAW! by rally2xs · · Score: 1

      While I believe that CO2 has a role in the planet's temperature, I also believe that, practically, there's not a damned thing we can do about our emissions right now, not without a worse effect of killing a lot of people by making them poor and throwing them into poverty, which kills too. Smoking will take maybe 7 years off your life, but living in poverty is likely to take 10. So, we really need to do things cheaply.

      The weird case of passenger vehicles is dictated by personal finance. That guy that buys the 7,500 pound Suburban has a particular use that requires a 7,500 pound Suburban. That use may only be 2 or 3 times a year, but he needs it, so he buys a Suburban. The rest of the time, he still has a 7,500 pound Suburban to go get groceries, get to work, go to the movies, and go fishing. If the guy could also afford a Chevy Volt, then whee, problem mostly solved, but otherwise, he's driving a 7,500 lb Suburban.

      Wanna fix that? Suspend the damned safety-Nazi nonsense that says that cars have to survive 60 mph crashes, so 1800 lb sports cars can be built again and be fun to drive with 1.6 liter engines, and get maybe 50 mpg with modern technology sans the weight. My current "sports sedan" is a turbo Subaru WRX, that gets decent mileage with the 2 liter engine, but would probably be another 10 mpg if it weighed 2000 lbs instead of 3200.

      And by "doing nothing", I mean that the gov't should do nothing. Why? Because there are armies of private industry scientist who are all working furiously in an attempt to be the 1st that makes a magic battery work or a solar panel be near 100% efficiency, and so forth. We don't need the gov't getting involved and passing a lot of laws that look good to the unwashed masses but in actuality get in the way of the work of those scientists. I think the scientists will be successful, eventually, even tho it might take 50 years. 50 years will be soon enough if we can get to leave the oil, gas, and coal in the ground for everything except petrochemicals.

    8. Re:HAW HAW! by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      It is a lie only in technical terms.

      Welcome to Slashdot (you must be new here,) a site for nerds, who are technical people. Technically correct is the best kind of correct.

      When I said fossil fuels, I meant fuels for internal combustion engines.

      Maybe you should have said what you meant, then, instead of leaving us to guess.

      Biofuels simply use a biological process to act on organic matter to produce fuels containing carbon that are then burned in internal combustion engines and emit CO2. We have to stop emitting CO2. That means we're looking for total electrification.

      Biofuels are, or at least can be, carbon-neutral. That means all the CO2 they emit was fixed from the atmosphere in the first place. If you use solar power (whether PV or direct thermal) to do the associated work involved in reforming them, then they do not contribute to the problem. That means we're not necessarily looking for total electrification.

      solar is available for only a few hours a day and at peak efficiency only when the sun is unobstructed by clouds.

      Yes, at the time when we need it most, due to the AC load. How ideal!

      At other times, we need (cheap) energy storage that we do not have. Therefore this methodology is currently unviable for replacing the common sources of electricity involving fossil or nuclear fuels.

      We have long had cheap, long-lived batteries suitable for cheap energy storage. They take up a lot of space, but we've got a lot of space we're not using for anything in the USA, so that's not a problem here. Ever since the invention of MPPT inverters, affordable power storage has been entirely viable. Therefore this methodology is completely viable for replacing the common sources of electricity involving fossil or nuclear fuels.

      Lee Iacocca said, "Lead, Follow, or Get Out Of The Way."

      He also said "buy my disposable shitboxes", or at least, that's what his actions boiled down to. Saved Chrysler, but really shit up the landscape with garbage cars that failed left and right.

      Waiting would be getting out of the way.

      Not if your form of "waiting" is helping to perpetuate the current problems by a) buying more of the same garbage and/or b) making excuses for bad behavior. b) is actually leading, in the wrong direction.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    9. Re:HAW HAW! by rally2xs · · Score: 1

      Carbon neutral? No, we need carbon-free. No more emitting. Otherwise there's the thing about moving that fuel around via trucks and railroads, burning it at maybe 20% efficiency of an internal combustion engine, when we could be electirfying and moving the fuel with about 90% efficiency via the power grid, charging batteries at about 90% efficiency, and using it at better than 90% efficiency in electric motors. We need to stop with the internal combustion engines.

    10. Re:HAW HAW! by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      Carbon neutral? No, we need carbon-free. No more emitting. Otherwise there's the thing about moving that fuel around via trucks and railroads, burning it at maybe 20% efficiency of an internal combustion engine,

      Trucks and railroads run on diesel. If you run them on carbon-neutral diesel, then it doesn't matter what their efficiency is, they're still not emitting net carbon.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    11. Re:HAW HAW! by rally2xs · · Score: 1

      I think it better that nothing emits.

    12. Re:HAW HAW! by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      I think it better that nothing emits.

      It's better, but we're not ready to switch over tomorrow. Progress comes in stages. Heavy trucks and trains run on diesel for a reason, and the reason is that it's cheaper to fuel them with diesel than it is to maintain the electrical infrastructure needed to run them electrically. That balance is shifting, of course. I would prefer the same, because CO2 isn't the only emission. It is, however, the one we're most concerned about right now, because we emit so much more than the earth can sink, and it has the potential for significant runaway effects.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    13. Re:HAW HAW! by rally2xs · · Score: 1

      Also, lets not forget about the other pollutions of internal combustion engines, such as oxides of nitrogen, waste lubricating oil, waste heat, evaporative emissions of the fuel that occurs any time the fuel is exposed to the atmosphere, etc. Those things don't occur when using electric motors.

  5. Fuel economy doesn't equal less emissions by magarity · · Score: 1, Insightful

    New cars regardless of mileage emit so little that I don't get why the focus is simply on that one factor. Emissions should be the primary factor. And then there's the focus purely on cars when lawn mowers, leaf blowers, construction vehicles, etc, all spew out a lot more pollutants per minute than the hugest SUV or pickup truck.

    1. Re:Fuel economy doesn't equal less emissions by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1


      Emissions should be the primary factor. And then there's the focus purely on cars when lawn mowers, leaf blowers, construction vehicles, etc, all spew out a lot more pollutants per minute than the hugest SUV or pickup truck.

      I filled up my gas can about a year ago with 4 gallons of gas. I haven't refilled it after running the snowblower, the lawmower, and the power washer.

      My family has two cars, and we go through probably 2 gallons of gas per DAY (we have fuel efficient cars).

      You don't really need a degree in math to determine which one is emitting more pollutants, even despite the small engines putting out more particulate matter.

    2. Re:Fuel economy doesn't equal less emissions by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      As you say, toxic emissions are pretty well sorted from cars. CO2 emissions, on the other hand, aren't - and that's directly proportional to fuel economy.

    3. Re:Fuel economy doesn't equal less emissions by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      New cars regardless of mileage emit so little that I don't get why the focus is simply on that one factor. Emissions should be the primary factor. And then there's the focus purely on cars when lawn mowers, leaf blowers, construction vehicles, etc, all spew out a lot more pollutants per minute than the hugest SUV or pickup truck.

      This is very smart, and also says a lot about the EPA emissions standards. What those standards only focus on are exhaust emissions, not non-exhaust emissions. While exhaust emissions are primary contributors to climate change, they have little to do with air quality, whereas non-exhaust emissions are primarily through increases in particulate matter in the air.

      If they focused on that, then electric vehicles would fail miserably, because non-exhaust emissions (which comes from brake wear, road wear, and tire wear) all are affected by the weight of the car and electric cars are in all cases heavier than internal combustion cars. Given the much better filtration systems on most diesel and gasoline cars, the gas cars do contribute to climate change but are much better for air quality whereas electric vehicles contribute much less to climate change but are far worse for air quality.

      This is a decent report on the subject: https://eandt.theiet.org/content/articles/2017/03/particle-pollution-from-electric-cars-could-be-worse-than-from-diesel-ones/

    4. Re:Fuel economy doesn't equal less emissions by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      But there are *way more* cars than leaf blowers. And the power of a car engine is way higher than a leaf blower. If all cars ran on scaled-up leaf blower engines, sure, there would be far more pollution. But they don't.

      See here: https://www.epa.gov/greenvehicles/fast-facts-transportation-greenhouse-gas-emissions

      Transportation is the leading emitter of greenhouse gases in the United States. 60% of that is "light-duty vehicles" (= cars). Most of the remainder is trucks. If you can go twice as far in those vehicles with the same amount of fuel (2x economy rise), that number immediately drops in half.

      Leafblowers, lawn mowers, etc. are in the "residential" part of the plot, which in total -- including home gas/oil heat, which I would guess dominates things -- is less than a fifth the contribution from transport.

    5. Re:Fuel economy doesn't equal less emissions by neilo_1701D · · Score: 4, Insightful

      ... when lawn mowers, leaf blowers, construction vehicles, etc, all spew out a lot more pollutants per minute than the hugest SUV or pickup truck.

      True... but how long do you run your leaf blower for? Purely in terms of hours per week, most cars run longer than the leaf blower by a huge factor.

    6. Re:Fuel economy doesn't equal less emissions by bill_mcgonigle · · Score: 5, Insightful

      spew out a lot more pollutants per minute than the hugest SUV or pickup truck.

      Don't forget that the big transition from cars to SUV's was a direct response to fuel economy standard increases, because they effectively banned family station wagons but "light trucks" were in a different class, so people who needed station wagons now needed SUV's, which got worse mileage.

      --
      My God, it's Full of Source!
      OUTSIDE_IP=$(dig +short my.ip @outsideip.net)
    7. Re:Fuel economy doesn't equal less emissions by admiralh · · Score: 4, Insightful

      How many leaf blowers, lawn mowers, construction vehicles, etc. are running simultaneously vs. cars/trucks?

      Since the answer is orders of magnitude more, a 0.1% reduction in car emissions is much better for the total environment then if all emissions were eliminated from leaf blowers, lawn mowers, construction vehicles, etc.

      A slight bit of critical thinking would do you a world of good.

      --
      Hopelessly pedantic since 1963.
    8. Re:Fuel economy doesn't equal less emissions by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Are leaf blowers actually that big of a problem (besides 8am on Friday mornings outside my bedroom window when I'm trying to sleep-in)?
      (Your argument sounds to me like the old "but mom, he did it too" excuse.)

      I suspect that the combined emissions for "lawn mowers, leaf blowers, construction vehicles, etc" only add up to a tiny fraction of the total emissions from passenger and freight vehicles. If that's true, then we can make the most impact on the environment by offering greater incentives for consumers to purchase vehicles whose engines don't run on dinosaur juice.

    9. Re:Fuel economy doesn't equal less emissions by whoever57 · · Score: 1

      I don't think you understand the difference between CO2 and CO plus N2O.

      --
      The real "Libtards" are the Libertarians!
    10. Re:Fuel economy doesn't equal less emissions by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      What's the downside of keeping them high and slowly raising them?

    11. Re:Fuel economy doesn't equal less emissions by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      New cars regardless of mileage emit so little that I don't get why the focus is simply on that one factor. Emissions should be the primary factor.

      Better fuel economy means less CO2 emissions, and worse fuel economy means more CO2 emissions. You're right when it comes to HCs or CO or even PPM, but not CO2.

      And then there's the focus purely on cars when lawn mowers, leaf blowers, construction vehicles, etc, all spew out a lot more pollutants per minute than the hugest SUV or pickup truck.

      California is trying to address the problem of emissions from that kind of equipment, as well. You can expect Trump to attack that, too.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    12. Re:Fuel economy doesn't equal less emissions by MoralCharacter · · Score: 0

      You clearly don't work in landscaping or yard maintenance then. You may not use any of your gas powered tools frequently - but even here in Arizona there's thousands and thousands of people with pickup trucks full of gas-powered leaf blowers, weed wackers, chainsaws and so on that go out - a veritable army - to keep all that nice landscaping looking nice.

      Outside maybe mom and pop businesses, any corporate, retail or industrial location is going to be paying people to come out and mow their lawns, trim their trees, blow away debris and so on. You have a storm come through and an army of landscapers will follow to clear fallen debris and trees. In my state - the only 'clean air' enforcement I'm aware of is that state employed landscapers cannot kick up too much dust on severe pollution days.

      I can't toss any hard numbers of how much gasoline they use - but I'll gladly bet even one pickup full of landscapers user far more in a few days than you spend on all your gas powered vehicles and tools do in a month easily.

      There is nowhere near as much pressure on tool manufacturers to improve their fuel efficiency as their is on auto manufacturers. There definitely isn't any pressure on landscapers to buy fuel efficient tools, nor any incentives. Of course there are less landscaping outfits than drivers - but if there somehow was as many, the effects on pollution would be devastating.

    13. Re:Fuel economy doesn't equal less emissions by MoralCharacter · · Score: 1

      to whit - try googling for 'fuel efficient tools' - you'll get plenty of sites about fuel efficient [i]vehicles[/i] before you begin to even see anything about tools.

    14. Re:Fuel economy doesn't equal less emissions by danbert8 · · Score: 1

      This times 1000. Mandating incrementally improved fuel economy by vehicle class hasn't actually improved fleet fuel economy. People now just buy less fuel efficient trucks and SUVs instead of fuel efficient cars. The economy standards affect the price of the fuel efficient cars MORE than they do the gas guzzlers, thus pricing the cars best for emissions out of the market and making heavy trucks and SUVs more attractive. The price of gas is low, so people aren't afraid to spend more at the pump over the life of the vehicle.

      If anything the fuel economy standards have hurt us more than they have helped us. And I actually want to buy a station wagon and there are practically none left. And the ones that are still around have about the same fuel economy as the ones available for sale in the early 2000s despite having more gears, automatic engine shutdown, and other crap on them. Might as well buy an SUV for about the same money despite unnecessary ground clearance, AWD I don't need, and worse fuel economy...

      --
      Yes it's an anecdote! Were you expecting original research in a Slashdot comment?
    15. Re:Fuel economy doesn't equal less emissions by DDumitru · · Score: 1

      You are wrong. Non exhaust emissions are the three factors you specify. One of these, break wear, is dramatically lower on "electrified" cars. My Prius brakes last 100K+ miles. Tesla brakes, the same. My Mirai brakes, the same. My Chrysler mini-van, 15K tops. My wife's Honda FIT, 25K tops.

      So road and tire emissions are "perhaps" marginally higher because of higher weight, but brakes move radically in the other direction.

    16. Re:Fuel economy doesn't equal less emissions by DamnOregonian · · Score: 1

      Oh I don't know. My 2011 emits quite a bit. It's hard to pump out 412hp without doing that.
      But the real problem is that it pumps out nearly 700hp worth of combustion products to do it, and that's just physics. No way around it. Internal combustion engines are terrible as discrete motors at this scale.

    17. Re:Fuel economy doesn't equal less emissions by DamnOregonian · · Score: 1

      that's directly proportional to fuel economy.

      No, it's actually not. At all.
      Fuel economy is a function of efficiency at turning fuel into motion, which includes unfortunately, drag.
      Clean emissions is a function of turning fuel into heat.
      They are indirectly related, but definitely not directly.

    18. Re:Fuel economy doesn't equal less emissions by gemtech · · Score: 1

      due to regenerative braking, which is good for everything.

      --
      Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Albert Einstein
    19. Re:Fuel economy doesn't equal less emissions by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You've obviously never lived in an American ghetto. Self propelled lawn mower + wheel chair/scooter == primary transportation.

    20. Re:Fuel economy doesn't equal less emissions by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

      There is a bit of sense in this. We should have made it an across the board cut. I've been in a few big vehicles with 4 cylinder engines and they are fine for family use. The aggressive driving of people with too much power probably costs a lot of lives too.

      We are soon to start hitting another problem with what has happened. For those of us in lower spending levels, the 35 mpg used cars we were able to afford to purchase as the higher level spenders tired of them are starting to age out. Not only were those affordable to purchase after 10+ years and 150K or so miles (thankfully, most after 2000 or so are making over 200K miles!), they are affordable to drive.

      The problem we face now is that the used market is starting to fill up with these gas hogs with massive, expensive tires. Even if we can find something for the $3K or so we may have, we can't afford to use them.

      I can afford no more than about $0.10 / mile of vehicle cost including maintenance and repair and hopefully around $0.08 / mile on fuel for my 8K miles or so a year. That means I'm looking for something that I can hope to put about 5 years and 40K miles on with a total of $4K of purchase price + maintenance price. That is no trouble with a lot of used cars in the market, but is becoming more difficult as we have to push them further and further due to the low volume of car sales in recent years.

    21. Re:Fuel economy doesn't equal less emissions by jonwil · · Score: 2

      The real problem is all the loopholes in the definition of "light trucks" that allowed things like the Chrysler PT Cruiser and all those "crossovers" to meet the definition.

    22. Re:Fuel economy doesn't equal less emissions by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      ... when lawn mowers, leaf blowers, construction vehicles, etc, all spew out a lot more pollutants per minute than the hugest SUV or pickup truck.

      True... but how long do you run your leaf blower for? Purely in terms of hours per week, most cars run longer than the leaf blower by a huge factor.

      Yet another "green genius" modded insightful that just can't do math...

      Ok, so let's say you personally only run your evil mother-earth-raping leaf blower an hour a week on average. I suppose you've never heard of landscapers that run them as close to all-the-freaking-time as humanly possible? (mowers, trimmers, chainsaws, chippers... it's a long list to keep your golf courses and gated communities so pretty)

      From what I see, a crew of 6 rolls up in a truck, operates maybe 6 or 7 out of an 8 hour shift (due to breaks, refueling, etc.), then rolls out to go home at the end of the day.
      You @ home = 1 hours/wk
      Truck = 10 hours/wk (1+1/day)*5days
      Crew equipment = 180 hours/wk (6*6/day)*5days

      Do you still think 1 is more than 180? What annoys me most about the greenies is their utter lack of comprehension when it comes to simple things like order of magnitude, or what reality exists outside their own little bubble.

    23. Re:Fuel economy doesn't equal less emissions by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I actually want to buy a station wagon and there are practically none left.

      Me too, man, me too...

    24. Re:Fuel economy doesn't equal less emissions by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Tell me about it. I'm one of these people. I'd prefer to have a car that is RWD, can haul a trailer when needed, and has some room to carry stuff (not a station wagon, but a decent size sedan). These no longer exist, so I was forced to get either a truck or SUV which gets much worse mileage than the types of cars I used to drive.

      I look at the work parking lot and half the cars are gas guzzling SUVs and trucks like mine.

    25. Re:Fuel economy doesn't equal less emissions by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Right. The rational, fair answer is to scrap fuel economy standards entirely, and just increase the price of gas through taxation.

      I'm sure The Donald will get right on that.

    26. Re:Fuel economy doesn't equal less emissions by redlemming · · Score: 1

      Right. The rational, fair answer is to scrap fuel economy standards entirely, and just increase the price of gas through taxation.

      In other words, you hate the poor, and you want their food to cost more. Plus the services of the electrician, the plumber, and so forth.

      Any change to something as fundamental as fuel compounds through the logistics chains of all the businesses in the country, increasing from stage to state like compound interest. To make matters worse, logistics networks are graphs, not trees. If the cost of food goes up because of a gas tax, the plumber has to pay more for food, so every stage in the logistics network that produces food now has to pay more for plumbing, which in turn means the plumber has to charge more, and so forth. It's called feedback.

      You could try to hide the effects by not taxing businesses - but that's counter-productive, and it doesn't actually solve the problem. People still need to get to work, and buy food, so the cost of labour goes up. Either businesses have to charge more in response, or people have to be willing to work for less (perhaps working longer hours, or having both spouses work to compensate). You've end up with yet another policy that screws over the poor and the middle class.

      In economic system, the changes due to feedback are generally pretty slow (months or years) - compared to, say, electrical systems, but in some ways that means the feedback creates even bigger problems for society because people tend to not notice it happening.

      The less money you have, the more a gas tax (or anything that works in a similar manner) affects you. We call this a regressive tax. The rich don't generally notice regressive taxes, in fact such taxes are effectively a tax break on the rich. For every dollar that comes into a government budget via a regressive tax, that's a dollar that isn't being supplied by a progressive tax where the rich have to pay more.

      State and local taxes have gotten increasingly regressive over the past 50 years in many places in the USA. Tax policy alone does not account for all the increasing concentration of wealth the US has experienced during that time, but it's definitely one the big factors (other big factors include massive problems with legal ethics, and with rent-seeking).

      Gas taxes are a really bad idea and certainly not a fair or rational idea - fuel economy standards on newer cars make a lot more sense. The poor won't be buying those cars - so they won't be directly impacted in a bad way - but they'll get these cars eventually, so over time things will get better for everybody as more and more people will have fuel efficient cars.

    27. Re:Fuel economy doesn't equal less emissions by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Don't forget that the big transition from cars to SUV's was a direct response to fuel economy standard increases, because they effectively banned family station wagons but "light trucks" were in a different class, so people who needed station wagons now needed SUV's, which got worse mileage.

      Nonsense. That's completely a myth.

      Subaru has had a variety of great station wagon models from before the first SUV was introduced, continuing to the present day. Anybody that wanted a station wagon could get a great one - far superior to ANY of the older station wagon models from other vendors - with high quality, excellent turning radius, and good gas mileage.

      Mini-vans have been popular for that entire period as well, for those who needed more space than any station wagon could provide. Full size vans were available as well, for those who needed more space than the mini-van could provide.

      The success of SUVs had nothing to do with changes in the fuel economy standards, and nothing to do with people needing more space. It was purely a matter of successful marketing, combined with a customer culture ready for a change.

    28. Re:Fuel economy doesn't equal less emissions by toddestan · · Score: 1

      You should pay more attention to Subaru, as they don't sell a single wagon in the US. Sure, they used to sell wagons, but about 15 years ago, they jacked them all up so that they would classify as "light trucks" and not cars, so they could sell them under the different rules for "light trucks". So those are all SUVs/CUVs now. Same thing with Volvo too. You mention Volvo and everyone thinks of those square, brick-like wagons they used to make, but Volvo doesn't sell a single wagon in the US either - all "light trucks" now.

      The whole CUV craze is all about selling cars that have been jacked up just enough to sell them under the rules for "light trucks". And since they compete under different rules, they're effectively driving all the regular cars out of the market, save for a handful of sports cars.

  6. Better Idea by Jzanu · · Score: 1, Troll

    Tax the top income bracket an extra 0.001% and use that to fund tax discount vouchers for all new cars with better fuel efficiency. Pocket the savings from population health improvement - not spending billions on fifth and sixth yachts but instead letting millions buy new cars that will give them and their families and their communities healthier environments to live in, and increase economic productivity by living longer. That is, unless this is all deception to further whatever short term goals Trump and the US leadership have been paid/bribed to represent instead of their constituents. That misrepresentation is failure to do their actual jobs, and they all need to be fired then.

    1. Re:Better Idea by brianerst · · Score: 4, Informative

      The top income bracket (the 1%) pulls in about $2 trillion dollars. 0.001% of that gets you $20 million. On an average year, Americans purchase about 17 million vehicles, so your tax will save approximately $1.18 on the sticker price of each vehicle.

      Now, if we expand to, say, the top 25% we get a figure of $6.7 trillion. 0.001% of that gets you $67 million, or about $3.94 per car.

      "Screw that," you say, "I was just throwing out a number. Increase the tax by 1%". Now we're talking real numbers! A 1% surtax on the top 1% could (theoretically) pull in $20 billion dollars! Split among cars and you get... $1,180 per car. The average car in January 2018 was $36,270, so you would drop that to $35,090.

      Whoo hoo! That makes the car only... $180 more than the same car in January 2017. And that's not including the cost to hit the new emissions and safety targets your tax was supposed to cover.

    2. Re:Better Idea by Jzanu · · Score: 2

      There are flaws in every single one of your estimates, and all of your calculations. I'm German and apparently understand your tax code better than you do. Your top bracket only applies to income within that bracket, over the previous one. That brings the amount to even less, but the demand isn't for every car/vehicle. It applies only to those where efficiency is better meaning pollution is removed by replacing older equipment. The Trump crony claim was that incentive is created by not improving fuel efficiency and the marginal costs that involves. The tax proposed need only cover that marginal difference.

    3. Re:Better Idea by brianerst · · Score: 4, Interesting

      It was unclear from your very seat-of-the-pants estimates whether you meant top income tax bracket (currently 37%, only collected at income above $500/600K single/married) or the top income bracket.

      Fortunately, they are pretty much one and the same - approximately 1% of taxpayers reach the top tax bracket. And you were talking about a surtax - a tax on top of what they already pay.

      I gave numbers for total income received by both the top 1% and top 25% - this is before deductions or other modifiers to a taxable amount. So my numbers were super conservative - I was essentially allowing 100% of their income to be subject to your 0.001% surtax. And it pulled in nothing.

      Even bumping your percentage 1000 times over came up with numbers that barely move the needle when it comes to new cars. Under a higher CAFE standard, every average new car is better than any average old car, so nearly all cars would be subject to your refund.

      I know quite a bit about tax law and income distribution in the US - maybe Germans aren't quite as knowledgeable. At any rate, a 0.001% estimate proves basic innumeracy.

    4. Re:Better Idea by Jzanu · · Score: 1, Interesting

      I've got a damn doctoral position at university, you can fuck off with you claims of innumeracy. Your political bias prevents you from understanding the basic need here isn't to cover the total cost of purchase but only and exclusively that claimed cost increase from fuel efficiency improvements - the added cost from the additional equipment and design changes, as overhead on prices for the cars sold.

    5. Re:Better Idea by brianerst · · Score: 2

      Unless the claimed cost overhead is less than $3.94 per vehicle, no version of your 0.001% surtax does a damn thing. The EPA and NHTSA estimated it would cost about $2,000 per vehicle, which is... a lot more than $3.94. This is super-basic math, here - your vaunted doctoral degree is meaningless and you have your own political bias blinder on.

      FWIW, I am for higher CAFE standards or some sort of carbon tax. I'm not against fuel economy - I"m against innumeracy, which you have in spades.

    6. Re:Better Idea by DamnOregonian · · Score: 1

      You are correct. He does not understand progressive taxation. Turns out a lot of us don't, because every single year I have to explain it to every single fucking colleague of mine in my IT firm with an average salary in the 6 figure range.

    7. Re:Better Idea by brianerst · · Score: 1

      Of course I understand progressive taxation - if you've ever done taxes in the US, you can't help but notice those tax bracket tables. I, of course, have never hit the top of those tables, but I've gone thru a number of them. Taxation is the US is remarkably progressive - much to the surprise of many who rail about tax unfairness (as opposed to income distribution unfairness).

      My reply was designed to give the parent poster the maximum benefit of the doubt - apply his 0.001% tax on every single dollar earned by the top 1% or top 25% as a pure surtax to gather the most possible revenue. And it turns out to be bupkis - when you take 1000th of 1% of even a really big number, you don't end up with much.

    8. Re:Better Idea by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      clever retort. Back to timeout now, boy

    9. Re:Better Idea by prisoner-of-enigma · · Score: 1, Funny

      Now now...don't argue with him. He's got a damn doctoral position at university and therefore none of your facts and truths matter. His damn doctoral position at university grants him carte blanche to ignore reality and argue fantasy. Because he has a damn doctoral position at university! You'll be condescended to and you'll like it dammit because he has a damn doctoral position at university and don't you forget it buster!

      The arrogance of academia never ceases to amaze me.

      --
      In the end they will lay their freedom at our feet and say to us, Make us your slaves, but feed us. - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
    10. Re:Better Idea by BronsCon · · Score: 2
      I'm guessing the 0.001% number was pulled out of one's ass to make a point. 0.1% wouldn't be felt by taxpayers but would, according to your calculations, amount to $2 billion, allowing a $394 subsidy per car. Does that cover the full cost? No, but it helps. 0.5% would still not really be felt by the group we're talking about, and that brings the allowance up to:

      about $2,000 per vehicle, which is...

      ... what ...

      The EPA and NHTSA estimated it would cost

      --
      APK quotes people (including myself) without context and should not be trusted. Just thought you should know.
    11. Re:Better Idea by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      >I've got a damn doctoral position at university, you can fuck off with you claims of innumeracy.

      So not only do you not understand math, and taxes, you have no real-world experience.
      Nice.
      But do go on, your colleagues need to watch you virtue signal your superior liberalness.

    12. Re:Better Idea by Areyoukiddingme · · Score: 1

      The top income bracket (the 1%) pulls in about $2 trillion dollars.

      Why are you only considering natural persons? Corporations are people too! What's 0.001% of Apple's revenue?

    13. Re:Better Idea by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Good to see that the Fatherland is still shitting out Nazis. Sieg fucking heil or some shit!

    14. Re: Better Idea by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Go to hell you stupid son of a bitch! I spent more than 10 years in the bundeswehr and back then would have loved to kill all you fucking ivans with my own hands! Even when in the volksarmee I hated you Russian faggots for being cowards. Now what are you? Pussy keyboard users that canâ(TM)t do shit in the world!

    15. Re:Better Idea by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      > I've got a damn doctoral position at university

      Then maybe you should show some rigor (i.e. exactitude), rather than frothing about how other people are obviously wrong. You just tried to counter a calculation with hand waving. That's not how discussion works.

    16. Re:Better Idea by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I've got a damn doctoral position at university,

      You should give that degree back.

    17. Re: Better Idea by Jzanu · · Score: 1

      How about growing the fuck up you autistic little retard?

    18. Re: Better Idea by Jzanu · · Score: 1

      Faggot you can try that shit in person and I will put you into the grave!

    19. Re:Better Idea by Jzanu · · Score: 1

      You fucking Ivan’s need to l arm a lot - remember the volksarmee rebellion? This time I don’t are and will finish with bloody boots standing over your shallow grave!

    20. Re:Better Idea by Jzanu · · Score: 1

      fuck you neo-nazi scum I will kill ever last one of you!

    21. Re:Better Idea by Jzanu · · Score: 1

      I’ve got at least 50 years on you, so go back and cry in your cradle!

    22. Re:Better Idea by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It'd be $2,292,340 for 2017 annual revenue.

    23. Re:Better Idea by prisoner-of-enigma · · Score: 0

      Your post is so incoherent and full of ad hominem attacks I'm not even going to attempt a rebuttal. In fact, there's no substance in your post that can be addressed since it's nothing but a childish tantrum.

      What university do you have your damn doctoral position at? I'd like to let them know they have someone on staff that's unable to form a coherent argument and must resort to personal attacks to camouflage their lack of intelligence. You might just get a promotion out of it!

      --
      In the end they will lay their freedom at our feet and say to us, Make us your slaves, but feed us. - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
    24. Re:Better Idea by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      fuck off you stupid cunt

    25. Re:Better Idea by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      you are one stupid ignorant mother fucker

  7. Physics, you asshole by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

    The quest for better fuel economy ultimately comes down to physics.

    To get even more economy, you need to reduce weight. Take away weight and you ultimately take away strength (unless you can afford a $500,000 carbon composite car.

    1. Re:Physics, you asshole by DamnOregonian · · Score: 2

      To get even more economy, you need to reduce weight.

      Utterly false.
      replace need to with can, and add , amongst other things. to the end.

      Take away weight and you ultimately take away strength

      Cars aren't about strength. They're about safety.
      I'm thinking that you're part of the camp that believes a 4000 pound tank from the 60s is safer than a modern car.
      Sure, one one hand, it has a whole lot of momentum to put into the argument of who's going to push who. On the other hand, 100% of that momentum is going to be transferred to you in that rigid ass body. Hope you enjoy being, well, dead.

    2. Re:Physics, you asshole by prisoner-of-enigma · · Score: 0

      Cars aren't about strength. They're about safety.

      And beyond a certain point, the strength of the vehicle -- or lack thereof -- does compromise safety. You can only make a steel or aluminum chassis so light before further reductions compromise its ability to protect occupants in a crash. Of course there's always carbon fiber but that would make the average car cost several hundred thousand dollars even with economies of scale.

      That you refuse to acknowledge this basic fact of physics speaks volumes on your understanding of the issue the OP brought up.

      --
      In the end they will lay their freedom at our feet and say to us, Make us your slaves, but feed us. - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
    3. Re:Physics, you asshole by WaffleMonster · · Score: 1

      And beyond a certain point, the strength of the vehicle -- or lack thereof -- does compromise safety. You can only make a steel or aluminum chassis so light before further reductions compromise its ability to protect occupants in a crash.

      I couldn't agree more. Also it is important for everyone to understand that it is only possible to reduce the mass of a vehicle so much before the vehicle itself ceases to exist.

      That you refuse to acknowledge this basic fact of physics speaks volumes on your understanding of the issue the OP brought up.

      The most basic physical fact is that power = energy / time

      Too much power causes injury and death.

      Your only options to prevent injury and death is reducing energy or increasing time. Cars are intentionally designed to fall apart in order to increase time during a collision.

    4. Re:Physics, you asshole by prisoner-of-enigma · · Score: 1

      Your only options to prevent injury and death is reducing energy or increasing time. Cars are intentionally designed to fall apart in order to increase time during a collision.

      None of this is up for debate and I agree entirely. However that's not was was being debated. The point in question was saying the weight -- or in more proper terms, mass -- of a vehicle wasn't the important thing and safety was. I'm saying that beyond a certain point the two cannot be considered separately. This is why cars are made out of steel, aluminum, high-strength plastics, and even carbon fiber instead of papier-mâché and styrofoam.

      The internal combustion engine has made leaps and bounds towards efficiency in the last few decades but we've reached a point of diminishing returns. The low hanging fruit has been picked and further increases can only come from more exotic materials and engine complexity, both of which come along with very high costs. The next step was reducing overall vehicle mass. Again, all the low-hanging fruit has been taken to the point where manufacturers are celebrating cutting ounces (or grams) instead of pounds (or kilos). Further weight reductions require exotic materials like carbon fiber which are exorbitantly expensive and impractical for mass-market vehicles the average consumer can afford. Thus higher MPG requirements for manufacturers can only be met by one thing: removing larger vehicles from their lineup. In essence, these regulations are attempting to ban, through regulatory fiat, customer choice.

      --
      In the end they will lay their freedom at our feet and say to us, Make us your slaves, but feed us. - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
    5. Re:Physics, you asshole by careysub · · Score: 1

      Cars aren't about strength. They're about safety.

      And beyond a certain point, the strength of the vehicle -- or lack thereof -- does compromise safety.

      Beyond a certain point anything is a reductio ad absurdum fallacy.

      Safety really isn't about strength. A very strong, very stiff body might be fine in a crash, but the occupants would be dead as they suffered an extremely high deceleration when the strong, rigid body came to a very sudden halt. Modern cars are safer because they collapse in a controlled manner in a front or rear end crash, reducing the forces that the occupants experience.

      --
      Starships were meant to fly, Hands up and touch the sky - Nicky Minaj
    6. Re:Physics, you asshole by DamnOregonian · · Score: 1

      And beyond a certain point, the strength of the vehicle -- or lack thereof -- does compromise safety.

      What an idiotic addition to the argument. You're right- I can't win. If we reduce the vehicle to nothing but a frame with wheels, it will in fact be less safe.

      You can only make a steel or aluminum chassis so light before further reductions compromise its ability to protect occupants in a crash.

      I can tell you have no idea how crash dynamics work. The safest vehicle in the world would be a rigid lightweight cage surrounded by a lot of low-weight energy absorbing structure. The trick is to slow down your deceleration, absorb the energy and dissipate it before it is transferred into your rapid and fatal deceleration. Strength is quite simply *not a factor*.

      That you refuse to acknowledge this basic fact of physics speaks volumes on your understanding of the issue the OP brought up.

      I'm left to wonder how many people around you silently think that you're a fucking moron and don't have the courage to tell you, because you clearly don't know that you are.

    7. Re:Physics, you asshole by DamnOregonian · · Score: 1

      Allow me to offer this hypothetical to help you understand.
      If a really angry huge man were going to hit you in the head as hard as he could with a baseball bat, would you want to be wearing:
      A) Magneto's helmet
      B) A big motherfucking Afro
      You take your strength. I, personally, (and the people more intelligent than you that design these things) choose life.

    8. Re:Physics, you asshole by DamnOregonian · · Score: 1

      Your entire premise is wrong, anyway.
      Fuel economy has more to do with drag while in motion than the weight of the vehicle. By a huge margin.
      Nobody is trying to arbitrarily "cut the weight" of vehicles. Quite the opposite in fact, since it isn't directly harmful to fuel efficiency.
      There is a trend toward smaller cars, that's for sure- but smaller *is* more efficient. Less drag cross section.

    9. Re:Physics, you asshole by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      Fuel economy has more to do with drag while in motion than the weight of the vehicle. By a huge margin.

      Great, but most driving involves a bunch of acceleration and deceleration, which is why hybrids are so effective. For long-haul semi trucks, which spend most of their time doing long, steady pulls, hybridization would offer little benefit. For people driving around cities, and/or getting stuck in traffic, it makes a huge difference. At those times, drivers are rarely going fast enough for drag to become a significant issue.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    10. Re:Physics, you asshole by DamnOregonian · · Score: 1

      Great, but most driving involves a bunch of acceleration and deceleration

      Oh I sincerely doubt that is true for anything but a very small subset of drivers in this country.
      Living in Seattle, and commuting all around the West and East Sides of the lake, my mustang- a vehicle practically known for its rather terrible aerodynamics still gets closer to its rated freeway mileage than its city mileage.
      Last I checked, our traffic was among the top 5 worst in the United States.

      which is why hybrids are so effective.

      Again- for that subset of people.

      For long-haul semi trucks, which spend most of their time doing long, steady pulls, hybridization would offer little benefit.

      Agreed.

      For people driving around cities, and/or getting stuck in traffic, it makes a huge difference.

      It can, I suppose, for some people. Like I said, I spend a good amount of time in stop and go traffic (couple hours a day) and yet my vehicle's mileage still manages to average around 20. A hybrid would do me little good, and I live in a densely populated urban area.
      I'm sure there are people who never leave the city or get on a freeway... but I bet most of them use mass transit.

      At those times, drivers are rarely going fast enough for drag to become a significant issue.

      Very true. No argument there.
      For those people, there are smart cars and such. For the vast majority of us, there are other cars where weight is less of a concern.

  8. Hypocrites by CohibaVancouver · · Score: 5, Insightful

    while simultaneously taking aim at California's unique ability to set more stringent rules

    Trump, his Republican cronies, and their voters, are such a collection of hypocrites.

    For decades, all Republicans do is bleat "STATES' RIGHTS!" - But when those states actually exercise those rights (emissions / drug policy / guns) the Republicans do everything in their power to stomp all over them.

    1. Re:Hypocrites by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      With a Canadian nick it is easy to understand why you think this the GOP is full of hypocrites. What you don't understand is that to Republicans, Democrats are not American citizens. To Republicans, Democrats are their mortal enemy. So anything the Democrats want (like for US Parties to not conspire with Russia to comprise our elections) is EVIL! So even when Ds, do what Rs would want if they did it themselves is tainted with evil so therefor double plus ungood. So yes, for decades Rs have wanted "STATES' RIGHTS" but only for R issues.

    2. Re:Hypocrites by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Guns are explicitly protected federally by the Second Amendment, so they are a federal issue. Not sure about other things granted to the fedgov by the Constitution (I'm Canadadian too). Yeah, drugs should be state-by-state. I guess they can thank the overbroad "commerce clause" ruling for the overreach.

    3. Re:Hypocrites by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      You may have noticed that Trump is only nominally a Republican. He has switched parties numerous times, and is a born-and-bred Manhattanite who was thoroughly resisted by the entire GOP until he defeated all the insiders. I know, your own tribal affiliations may make all this very hazy and hard to grasp, but it is what actually happened.

    4. Re:Hypocrites by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The problem is that CA is a large enough market that the rules they've been creating essentially apply to all the other states. That means one state is dictating to 49 other states who are not represented by the California legislature. It is the Federal governments job to make sure that the rights of one state do not subvert the rights of all the other states.

    5. Re:Hypocrites by Johnberg · · Score: 1

      Which is why we can't have nice things

    6. Re:Hypocrites by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      For decades, all Republicans do is bleat "STATES' RIGHTS!" - But when those states actually exercise those rights (emissions / drug policy / guns) the Republicans do everything in their power to stomp all over them.

      What? When has the federal government done anything to stomp on states' gun laws? Most states have unconstitutional limits on bearing arms, for example. The feds have done nothing substantive to attack California's various other gun laws, either. If California actually banned guns entirely, then yeah, they'd be upset, because their constituents (gun manufacturers) would lobby to have the problem addressed because we Californians actually buy a whole lot of guns, and that would cut into their profits. But California gun laws mean a whole lot of additional accessories are sold, like reduced-capacity magazines. It also means more large-caliber pistols are sold, and there's more markup on those.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    7. Re:Hypocrites by AmiMoJo · · Score: 1, Troll

      States rights are a dog whistle, it has nothing to do with the actual rights of the states.

      --
      const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
    8. Re:Hypocrites by Dragonslicer · · Score: 4, Informative

      The problem is that CA is a large enough market that the rules they've been creating essentially apply to all the other states. That means one state is dictating to 49 other states who are not represented by the California legislature.

      California isn't dictating any laws to any other states. Companies are deciding that it's easier and cheaper to only make products that comply with California's laws, instead of having multiple different versions.

    9. Re:Hypocrites by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      California is not usurping the rights of any state by establishing higher standards. The other states can choose to have the less strict standards and the manufacturer still has the right to make a choice to produce vehicles that are legal in the other 49 states but not California. The fact they choose not to is NOT a concern of the citizens of California.

      If California tried to mandate that all cars sold in the US meet California standards then yes they are usurping the other states but California is not doing that.

    10. Re:Hypocrites by DDumitru · · Score: 1

      ... and companies routinely produce cars for "non California" markets. Take the Chevy Volt. Hybrid, "green". In California, they have to use a different gasoline generator to meet emission standards to qualify for stuff like carpoll stickers etc. So California "rules" are not everyone's rules and car makers often build differently in other states.

    11. Re:Hypocrites by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yea and for decades Democrsts have bleated the "power of the federal government". Now when the federal government is actually doing something to controll the states you are talking about the right of the states to make their own laws.

      If you are going to point out the hypocrisyy of the republicans you should have the realization that the democrats are equally hypocritical. We dont have a dispute over ideas we have a tribal war going on and facts get molded to support whatever side of the divide you on.

      If i know your enlighted view on climate change i also know your views on guns, abortion, islam, immigraion, christianity, and a whole host of ideas that have nothing in common ofther than the tribes have convinced themselves they represent their "values"

    12. Re:Hypocrites by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      while simultaneously taking aim at California's unique ability to set more stringent rules

      Trump, his Republican cronies, and their voters, are such a collection of hypocrites.

      For decades, all Republicans do is bleat "STATES' RIGHTS!" - But when those states actually exercise those rights (emissions / drug policy / guns) the Republicans do everything in their power to stomp all over them.

      States rights only apply when they don't directly contradict the constitutional rights. This would mean that in cases of guns, religion, pursuit of happiness (yes gay marriage and equality for racial demographics) the federal government does have every right to supersede states rights. The Federal government also has the right to manage interstate commerce. I'm guessing this is the excuse they are using to flex nuts over California. In the end of the day it shouldn't matter. If California wants lower emissions on vehicles so bad just slap a $5/gallon tax on fuel. I assure you that will lower emissions immediately. In fact by 2030 none of these emission standards will matter as the vast majority of cars will be electric.

    13. Re:Hypocrites by argStyopa · · Score: 1

      While simultaneously ardent Federalists on the Left are now INSISTING that States' Rights are now as sacrosanct as any un-Reconstructed Confederate.

      So both sides are tendentious hypocrites.

      Your point? Or were you just asserting that your enemies were the only ones who did that?

      --
      -Styopa
    14. Re:Hypocrites by jsepeta · · Score: 1

      GOP only wants states' rights to enforce racism and to abolish abortion.

      --
      Remember kids, if you're not paying for the service, YOU ARE THE PRODUCT THAT IS BEING SOLD.
    15. Re:Hypocrites by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Just like California. Both parties are hypocrites. As has been noted repeatedly.

      https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/the-state-worker/article157688724.html

      Here you have California imposing their view of how the world should run on other states. Economic warfare. Do it our way or else. States' Rights indeed. California doesn't care about States' Rights in the least, except their own. Notice how they exempted themselves from their own ban if there is grant or tax money on the table. So they took a stand, but they'll compromise for money.

      How about this one? I guess California laws are too pesky to actually comply with, so they outsourced construction to avoid environmental and labor laws. To a country renowned for its human rights.

      https://www.npr.org/2011/09/16/140515737/california-turns-to-china-for-new-bay-bridge

      This type of hypocrisy is rampant in California.

    16. Re:Hypocrites by Darinbob · · Score: 1

      Thirteen states have essentially adopted California emission rules.

    17. Re:Hypocrites by squiggleslash · · Score: 1

      No they're not. You can't just claim that there are "two sides" to anything by inventing opinions of the "other side" so that it appears they're equally bad.

      "OMG Trump is taking the children away from asylum seekers and putting them in facilities where he knows they're going to be tortured."

      "Oh yeah? Well I didn't hear lieberaltards complain when Clinton was doing the exact same thing!"

      "Actually, it was Obama who was the last President, he wasn't doing the exact same thing, and liberals were complaining loudly about ICE then too, which was being abusive but not to this extreme."

      "Oh yeah, well, uh shut up libtard."

      There's no great movement among the left for "States Rights". On occasion, you'll see the left pointing out that it's ludicrous for the right to claim it's in favor when it's trampling over, for example, state level pot legalization, but we're pretty much open about the fact that we want the federal government to work to improve the rights, welfare, and safety of all, and we don't see the states as being remotely good at that. In fact, we know structurally they'll never be able to do what needs to be done.

      --
      You are not alone. This is not normal. None of this is normal.
  9. World Follower by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    World standards do not follow US standards. All vehicle makers have to conform to worldwide standards, not just the US. Besides, California standards are not the most strict when compared to international standards. Also California standards have been ratified by 12 other states. Since this is a proposed bill, it will not get out of committee without providing states the ability to set their own limits.

    1. Re:World Follower by neilo_1701D · · Score: 1

      World standards do not follow US standards. All vehicle makers have to conform to worldwide standards, not just the US. Besides, California standards are not the most strict when compared to international standards. Also California standards have been ratified by 12 other states. Since this is a proposed bill, it will not get out of committee without providing states the ability to set their own limits.

      Serious question (because I don't know): It really works as simply as that? All this grand posturing can be undone by a committee?

      I get that things like the wall get stopped because of the funding requirements. But a simply regulatory change? Wow!

    2. Re:World Follower by dgatwood · · Score: 2

      World standards do not follow US standards. All vehicle makers have to conform to worldwide standards, not just the US. Besides, California standards are not the most strict when compared to international standards. Also California standards have been ratified by 12 other states. Since this is a proposed bill, it will not get out of committee without providing states the ability to set their own limits.

      Serious question (because I don't know): It really works as simply as that? All this grand posturing can be undone by a committee?

      In all likelihood, yes.

      Of course, even if they explicitly prevent states from setting stricter standards for sales of cars, California can still tweak its carpool lane laws slightly and effectively get the same results

      • Create two categories of carpool lane: red and blue:
        • Red lanes require three passengers or a carpool access sticker for ZEV or qualifying PZEV except for a short stretch at left-side carpool entrance ramps, to allow vehicles to pass through the red lane to the adjacent blue lane.
        • Blue lanes require two passengers unless the vehicle's plate was issued before January 1, 2019 or it complies with stricter emissions standards.
      • Change the law so that Caltrans can create Blue lanes out of existing lanes on roads that have at least one Red lane, so long as at least one driving lane remains non-carpool.
      • Convert all existing Blue lanes to Red lanes.
      • Begin issuing light blue license plates on January 1, 2019 in lieu of white ones. Any vehicle with a blue plate in a blue lane requires either a blue carpool (CARB-compliant ICE) or red-lane (ZEV/PZEV) sticker.

      Nobody in their right minds would buy or attempt to sell a car that can only be used in the rightmost lane on the freeways, so in effect, California would be enforcing those standards without enforcing them. As a bonus, it would so strongly discourage people from bringing non-compliant vehicles into the state of California, that car companies would feel pressure to sell cleaner cars everywhere.

      Of course, the downside would be that it would encourage people thinking about moving to California to buy an older used car instead of a newer one, but that's likely to be lost in the noise.

      --

      Check out my sci-fi/humor trilogy at PatriotsBooks.

    3. Re:World Follower by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      WRONG.

      https://www.seattlepi.com/national/article/World-s-strictest-emissions-standards-1155040.php

      Since 2004 California has had the strictest emissions standards. God you are ignorant and lazy.

    4. Re:World Follower by Darinbob · · Score: 1

      And auto makers do have separate markets because of that. US auto makers will make different brands of cars for Europe, in Europe. Ie, the Opel. There's a very tiny market in Europe for big luxury fuel guzzling pickup trucks, but it's a huge market in the US (huge margins too). Smaller market for economy cars in the US (lower margins) but big demand in Europe so the automakers suck it up and make them for Europe. So the auto makers can and do deal with this issue, they don't need special handouts from Congress.

    5. Re:World Follower by Darinbob · · Score: 1

      The congressional committee is a filter. If a bill isn't approved by committee then it will never be brought up for a full vote and is essentially dead.

    6. Re:World Follower by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It was made by a committee, why not changed by a committee?

  10. and mexicans 'steal' jobs.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Informative

    so "build a wall" to keep 'em out. guess what? if you did that, the lower paying jobs that they were 'taking'.. would still pay shit, still wouldn't offer benefits or health insurance, even if it was gun-totin' white male native-born americans that took those jobs.

    just another brain-dead policy of this fucked-up administration.

    relaxing the efficiency goals set by previous administration basically the continuation of the assault on anything obama did, and pay-back to big oil, fraccers and automakers/dealers for their 'donations'.

    never mind the fact that most cars sold here are made by foreign companies and/or are imported. even cars made here by american companies can barely be legally defined as a 'domestic' product (because they contain a significant, but not quite over the threshold, amount of foreign components and parts).

    never mind the fact a substantial amount of oil consumed here is imported. never mind the fact that the fraccing that has kept gas prices relatively stable is fucking-up the environment nearly as much as this administration is fucking-up this country.

    1. Re:and mexicans 'steal' jobs.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      You've bought how many smartphones now?

      Right.

  11. What a load of horseshit. by SeaFox · · Score: 1

    "Cars and trucks are just part of the basic fiber of the American economy and the American experience, so we take what we're doing very, very seriously," Bill Wehrum, EPA assistant administrator, told reporters on Thursday

    What does that have to do with your job at the EPA, Wehrum? You're not a cultural ambassador.
    This is just "we don't want to have to change, whaaaa!" wrapped in a flag.

    1. Re:What a load of horseshit. by bill_mcgonigle · · Score: 0

      What does that have to do with your job at the EPA, Wehrum? You're not a cultural ambassador.

      What the heck do you think representative government is, man?

      Oh, right, stupid people need their academic betters to tell them what to do. Because that's worked so well.

      --
      My God, it's Full of Source!
      OUTSIDE_IP=$(dig +short my.ip @outsideip.net)
    2. Re:What a load of horseshit. by SeaFox · · Score: 0

      What the heck do you think representative government is, man?

      Something we don't really have -- when the representative is voted in through interference by foreign governments and legitimate citizens denied their right to vote with administrative/clerical tricks.

      He is supposed to be making sure we don't let industry ruin our country's land and turn us into a cesspool like certain other areas. Greenhouse gasses and the pollution of the air by automobiles is a very real thing. Reducing efforts to improve the environmental impact of automobiles is contrary to the mission of his department and his reasoning boils down do "Ye-haw! Trucks are awesome!"

    3. Re:What a load of horseshit. by bws111 · · Score: 1

      So things like way of life, the economy, etc should have no bearing on his decisions? In that case, why not just ban all vehicles and industry? Problem solved!

      There would probably be a tiny number of people who would support such a move, but certainly most people would not.

      On the other hand, we could just eliminate all environmental protections. Again, a very few people would cheer, but most would not support such a move

      In the real world there are an infinite number of possibilities between those two extremes, and choosing the right options certainly is more difficult than 'Yehaw trucks'.

  12. Robot Overlords by TheMiddleRoad · · Score: 1

    At this point, I'd really welcome some robot overlords.

    1. Re:Robot Overlords by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      At this point, I'd really welcome some robot overlords.

      They'd welcome you, too... into a rendering plant. They could use you for fuel. Of course, they'd be pro-solar, so that would be a temporary situation...

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
  13. Hello Malaise Era, we meet again... by GameboyRMH · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Soon the US could be building gas guzzlers nobody outside the US wants to buy...and then when gas prices go back up, nobody inside the US will want to buy them either...remember how awesome it was last time that happened around the OPEC oil crisis? #MAGA!

    --
    "When information is power, privacy is freedom" - Jah-Wren Ryel
    1. Re:Hello Malaise Era, we meet again... by MobyDisk · · Score: 2

      I doubt that any manufacturer would remove fuel efficiency improvements from an existing car model. It's not worth investing R&D time just to make a car worse. The most that could happen is it could slow the pace of fuel efficiency improvements, or maybe result in a few low-end cars that are slightly less efficient.

    2. Re:Hello Malaise Era, we meet again... by GameboyRMH · · Score: 2

      I also wouldn't expect a decrease, but rather a near-total lack of improvement, while the rest of the world continues to push ahead, including with EV models that get 3-digit MPGe.

      --
      "When information is power, privacy is freedom" - Jah-Wren Ryel
    3. Re:Hello Malaise Era, we meet again... by bobstreo · · Score: 1

      I doubt that any manufacturer would remove fuel efficiency improvements from an existing car model. It's not worth investing R&D time just to make a car worse. The most that could happen is it could slow the pace of fuel efficiency improvements, or maybe result in a few low-end cars that are slightly less efficient.

      I'm guessing manufacturers will start to program car computers for power, instead of fuel efficiency. It's a cheap programming trick with no hardware changes required.

    4. Re:Hello Malaise Era, we meet again... by drinkypoo · · Score: 2

      I doubt that any manufacturer would remove fuel efficiency improvements from an existing car model.

      As written, your statement is true, but nonsensical. First, as a sibling comment points out, you can simply reprogram cars to burn more fuel. This is a common thing to do now. Any electronically-fueled vehicle can typically be tuned to make more power, at the cost of emissions and efficiency. That means any gasoline engine since the late eighties, or pretty much any diesel since about 2003-ish, which is about the time they all went to electronic common-rail. But second, automakers already make a variety of powerplants for different markets. The ones that get the best mileage while still offering good performance cost more to make. They can save money by simply offering the same vehicles with less-efficient engines. In markets where fuel economy is not the primary driver of sales, this is something they both can and will actually do.

      The other thing that will happen is that automakers will point at American emission laws as how things ought to be. They will convince consumers that this is the case. And then those consumers will go on to try to convince their government representatives. If they are willing to continue to vote for incumbents who support relaxing fuel efficiency standards on the basis that America's doing it, then those people will continue to get elected and continue to impede the development of legal frameworks which mandate improved efficiency.

      America is still the world's most profitable automotive market, so what happens here is of immense interest to all major automakers.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    5. Re:Hello Malaise Era, we meet again... by Nidi62 · · Score: 2

      Soon the US could be building gas guzzlers nobody outside the US wants to buy..

      Soon? Ford has already said from now on they would only build pickups, Mustangs, and 1 EV. And these days even the small pickups are the same size as a full size pickup was 15 years ago.

      --
      The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for it to be pitted against a slightly greater evil
    6. Re:Hello Malaise Era, we meet again... by Dragonslicer · · Score: 1

      remember how awesome it was last time that happened around the OPEC oil crisis?

      No, they don't remember. That's the problem.

    7. Re:Hello Malaise Era, we meet again... by TigerPlish · · Score: 2

      Soon the US could be building gas guzzlers nobody outside the US wants to buy...and then when gas prices go back up, nobody inside the US will want to buy them either...remember how awesome it was last time that happened around the OPEC oil crisis? #MAGA!

      It could be argued that this is the case, right now. Dear Leader says we buy Europe's cars and that he doesn't want to see BMWs in New York, but he's misplacing the blame - the reason for the imbalance isn't some brutal Euro-tax on our cars, it's simply our cars still being huge, heavy, inefficient and ill-suited for life in europe.

      Do WE make anything like a BMW? Or an Alfa Guilia? (small-ish, light-ish, rear-drive, fun to drive) No, we don't... the closest we have are Camaro, Mustang, Challenger / Charger.. none of which exactly adapt well to Europe.

      We'll never be big in Europe. Not as long we keep building exclusively for our roads and not theirs.

      --
      The "Civilized World" jumped the shark ca. 1973.
    8. Re:Hello Malaise Era, we meet again... by MobyDisk · · Score: 1

      relaxing fuel efficiency standards

      Let us define that word "relaxing" before we continue our speculation. From the article:

      rule that would instead freeze the standards at their 2020 levels for six years.

      So they aren't lowering the standards (yet), they are freezing them at their current levels. So if they can offer more power at the current standards, and they can reprogram the cars to make the trade off, that actually doesn't sound too bad.

    9. Re:Hello Malaise Era, we meet again... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Impressive. Everything you said is wrong. Coping with existential angst, at least you switched from beating your wife to internet trolling.

    10. Re:Hello Malaise Era, we meet again... by Obfuscant · · Score: 1

      Soon the US could be building gas guzzlers nobody outside the US wants to buy...

      Yeah, because freezing the regulations at a level set for two years in the future is going to allow car makers to return to building gas guzzlers.

      My god, will the hyperbole never end?

      This is typical left-whine: improving the standards LESS than what the left wants is "rolling back"; increasing taxes LESS than what the left wants is "massive tax cuts" that "take money from the government".

      Folks, it's still a better standard than before (and it's still a tax increase), it's just not as much as you want.

      nobody inside the US will want to buy them either

      If nobody will buy them, the the car makers won't build them. If everyone wanted zero emission vehicles, that would be all that the car makers build. Clearly the market is not as limited as you pretend.

      I had been seeing this fancy script "pzev" on the back of Subarus for a while, trying to figure out if it is a model name or what. I was in the dealership getting maintenance one day and saw a flyer: "partial zero emission vehicle". I understand how you can claim something is "zero emission" (it doesn't emit even if building it or creating electricity for it does), or non-zero emissions (it does), but "partial zero"? "Partial zero" is like "a little pregnant". It emits or it doesn't. But it's marketing hype anyway.

    11. Re:Hello Malaise Era, we meet again... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The economy standard doesn't dictate the fuel economy of any particular car, but rather, it's about the average economy of the whole fleet of cars that the mfgr sells. It means that to meet the standard, they can still sell gas guzzlers, but they have to sell (say) 3 fuel-efficient cars for every guzzler they sell. That means (e.g.) they have to adjust prices to charge more for the guzzlers and less for the efficient cars. They could get more profit by selling guzzlers for less and efficient cars for more, creating an extra cost of pollution and externalizing that cost on people who have to breathe the air. So the Trump proposal is to boost corporate profits by shifting costs from drivers to breathers, rolling back the standard that prevented that shift. Thanks Trump.

    12. Re:Hello Malaise Era, we meet again... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      >We'll never be big in Europe.
      except for tesla's.

    13. Re:Hello Malaise Era, we meet again... by AHuxley · · Score: 1

      The pursuit of Happiness. More different cars to design and select from around the USA.

      --
      Domestic spying is now "Benign Information Gathering"
    14. Re:Hello Malaise Era, we meet again... by avandesande · · Score: 1

      Mustangs outsell 911s in Germany

      --
      love is just extroverted narcissism
    15. Re:Hello Malaise Era, we meet again... by fatwilbur · · Score: 1

      I think that's clearly not going to be the case. Looking at vehicles sales in North America there is a long term clear trend towards larger vehicles - trucks and SUVs. The popularity does indeed dip during those (relatively few) periods of serious gas price increases like the OPEC crisis you mention. Once the spike ends however, people jump back to buying trucks at an even faster clip than before.

      There's a basic lesson in economics here. If there is a large switch to electric vehicles like people here envision, this will lower demand for gasoline. Combined with increasing production (and production most definitely IS increasing YoY), you have rising supply and lowering demand - just how in this scenario do you envision gas prices going up? It doesn't make sense... and once the prices fall, the trend towards larger vehicles will no doubt resume as it has for decades.

    16. Re:Hello Malaise Era, we meet again... by mjwx · · Score: 1

      Soon the US could be building gas guzzlers nobody outside the US wants to buy.

      What do you mean by "soon".

      American brands like Cadillac, Chevrolet, et al. barely exist out here and when they do it's usually either failing to sell American cars to other countries or failing to sell Korean cars to other countries. No one wants to buy a Caddy CTS for the same price as Merc E63 AMG when you can get the E63 AMG. Even Ford has separate divisions for Europe producing completely separate cars (a US focus is different to a UK one). American cars are rarely found outside America, the Philippines is a notable exception being a dumping ground for used US cars (same as many South American nations).

      This is because American manufacturers do not understand foreign countries. No-one over here wants a huge engine that produces little to no power, we're happy getting no power out of 1.2L engines, a gutless 3.7L V6 is just overkill that just ads weight. Not to mention primitive designs, up until this generation the Mustang had a live rear axle, at least when Chevrolet re-introduced the Camaro they realised they knew nothing about suspension and went overseas to learn about the wonders of "multi link" and "independent rear"... Basically they took a barge made in Australia and called it a Chevy. The Japanese understand how to make and market cars to other nations, even if that understanding is "here is a basic car that is affordable and wont break down" because after all, that is what most people want.

      Also killing the manual, a lot of Europeans like their 3rd pedal which is why Porsche and BMW keep making them (my manual M240i is brilliant).

      Finally there is a replacement for displacement, it's called a turbocharger. Japanese and European manufacturers have been using them to produce small, reliable, economical, high powered engines for ages now. Americans are finally catching on.

      --
      Calling someone a "hater" only means you can not rationally rebut their argument.
  14. Tesla by 110010001000 · · Score: 5, Funny

    If everyone would just buy a Tesla we would solve two problems: Tesla's balance sheet and the emissions problem. Solution: buy a Tesla.

    1. Re:Tesla by sinij · · Score: 4, Funny

      After making such recommendation, it is customary to disclose your position in Tesla stock.

    2. Re:Tesla by organgtool · · Score: 2

      Reverse cowgirl

    3. Re:Tesla by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Except you still have to generate the electricity to charge all of those Teslas. Which currently means more coal plants. Oh and you have to mine all of the materials to make those batteries. Just buying an EV doesn't fix all of the emissions problems. It just moves them elsewhere.

    4. Re:Tesla by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      And disclose any convictions because of battery.

    5. Re:Tesla by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      And then never be able to fix your own car again as getting OEM parts from Tesla is impossible. Also if you do manage to work on your own car Tesla won't touch it afterwards. Tesla isn't perfect, far from it.

    6. Re:Tesla by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      After making such recommendation, it is customary to disclose your short position in Tesla stock.

    7. Re:Tesla by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      OMG. Coal plants are being shut down right and left because they are too expensive to run. California has so much solar and wind power, there are times they are needing to give it away. Having a few million cars plugged in while at work would be an awesome help in that regard.

    8. Re:Tesla by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      He's one of the "short trolls". Just ask the bunch of Musk cocksuckers and shills here.

    9. Re:Tesla by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      he's a shorter who has come to terms with going bankrupt.

    10. Re:Tesla by vandamme · · Score: 1

      But Nissan sells more electrics, and they're almost affordable.

  15. Who cares? by PopeRatzo · · Score: 0

    Trump does not have a good record when it comes to telling California what to do.

    Putin must be laughing his head off after convincing 304 American electoral delegates to put a degenerate in power.

    --
    You are welcome on my lawn.
    1. Re:Who cares? by Obfuscant · · Score: 1

      Putin must be laughing his head off after convincing 304 American electoral delegates to put a degenerate in power.

      No, he's laughing his head off hearing all the useful idiots who keep saying stuff like this. It feeds his ego and makes him feel good when people ascribe more power to him than he really has. It's like the best practical joke is the joke that never happened, but everyone keeps congratulating the joker on what a great joke it was.

      If you want to find a true Putin supporter, look in the mirror.

  16. CAFE by JBMcB · · Score: 3, Interesting

    When the first round of CAFE standards took effect, car makers managed to increase efficiency by improving engine efficiency.

    When the second round happened, they started shrinking cars down to reduce weight. This is why a mid-size sedan from the early 2000's is about the same size, or larger, than most full size luxury cars these days.

    Now car companies are skimping on seat fill, or leaving out spare tires, or using glue to hold components together instead of heavier rivets, to shave every possible ounce of weight off of a car to get the MPG up.

    There isn't much left to do. Electric cars are great for short haul, but sometimes people need to drive farther. Small cars are fine for a lot of people, but try jamming a rear-facing car seat in one and you'll find the front seat is nearly unusable.

    --
    My Other Computer Is A Data General Nova III.
    1. Re:CAFE by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      yeah 300 miles is a "short distance" lol

    2. Re:CAFE by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If you want to take a trip anywhere, it sure is. For a daily commute and groceries, it's fine. Unless, you don't live in an urban area. In rural areas, your errand runs could very well bump up against that 300 mile limit. You can't just look at things from the perspective of a city dweller.

    3. Re:CAFE by rally2xs · · Score: 2

      First day of my first vacation this year was 800 miles. Yeah, people drive farther than 1 tank of gas.

    4. Re:CAFE by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0


      There isn't much left to do.

      Baloney. Engines run most efficiently at a single speed, and a lot of fuel is wasted with stop/go. That's why hybrids with regenerative braking can create such good fuel economy.

    5. Re:CAFE by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      There is electricity more places than there is gas. So what's the problem?

    6. Re:CAFE by rally2xs · · Score: 2, Insightful

      The problem is taking 8 hours to recharge the car. We can't fast-charge yet like we can fuel a car with gasoline. We need to be able to do that and we can't. So electric cars are not truly viable yet.

    7. Re:CAFE by Ichijo · · Score: 1

      Small cars are fine for a lot of people, but try jamming a rear-facing car seat in one and you'll find the front seat is nearly unusable.

      I did not have that problem in my Prius c. Which car are you referring to?

      --
      Any sufficiently unpopular but cohesive argument is indistinguishable from trolling.
    8. Re:CAFE by drinkypoo · · Score: 2

      When the second round happened, they started shrinking cars down to reduce weight.

      And yet advances in packaging have permitted them to maintain their cabin room for quite some years now, in spite of shrinking vehicles. Who wouldn't want a smaller car with the same interior volume?

      Now car companies are skimping on seat fill, or leaving out spare tires, or using glue to hold components together instead of heavier rivets, to shave every possible ounce of weight off of a car to get the MPG up.

      They actually left out spare tires for packaging reasons as much as weight ones. Also, people use them less these days. If people cared, they'd still include full-size spares, but most people just call for roadside assistance. Hell, I just looked at a bus a band has been touring in for months, and they didn't have a spare. They just called their roadside assistance provider if they got a flat.

      Automakers aren't using glue instead of rivets for weight reasons, but because the materials they're using need to be glued instead of riveted. If you rivet aluminum to steel, you're gonna get galvanic corrosion. They are using those other materials for weight reasons, of course, but that's not quite the same thing.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    9. Re:CAFE by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Not everyone lives 5 miles from their job.

      Increased commute times (largely due to traffic loads) eat battery. The typical average commute distance is growing over time. The typical range of an affordable electric car (e.g. Nissan Leaf) is far less than 300 miles - more like 140 miles under ideal conditions, and far less under adverse conditions (peak/typical winter and summer weather conditions where HVAC demands increase in either direction, mostly.)

      So unless you're asserting that everyone can afford a Tesla, your assertion is highly unrealistic.

    10. Re:CAFE by b0s0z0ku · · Score: 1

      If average commute distance is growing, time to encourage tele commuting and denser development.

    11. Re:CAFE by BronsCon · · Score: 1

      With no superchargers in the mountains, it would turn the 12hr drive from San Francisco to Tacoma into a 2 day trip.

      That, of course, is assuming the car wasn't loaded up with luggage, thereby reducing its range and requiring another couple of charges to get there, making it a 3 day trip.

      --
      APK quotes people (including myself) without context and should not be trusted. Just thought you should know.
    12. Re:CAFE by prisoner-of-enigma · · Score: 2

      There isn't much left to do. Electric cars are great for short haul, but sometimes people need to drive farther. Small cars are fine for a lot of people, but try jamming a rear-facing car seat in one and you'll find the front seat is nearly unusable.

      Which lays bare the real reason these MPG standards were imposed in the first place: to make it impossible to produce or sell anything except electric vehicles. And since the government lacks the power to ban internal-combustion vehicles, government decided to get around that pesky "we don't have the power to do this" issue by making MPG standards that become nearly impossible to meet with a conventional vehicle. It's the same tactic they've used to attack the 2nd Amendment, trying to ban ammunition since they can't ban guns.

      Government apparently can't depend on the market to decide what technology wins and loses so they are picking one and forcing the other to die via regulation. Another usurpation of the power of the people to make their own economic choices and nobody even wonders if this is a bad idea.

      --
      In the end they will lay their freedom at our feet and say to us, Make us your slaves, but feed us. - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
    13. Re:CAFE by prisoner-of-enigma · · Score: 3, Funny

      First day of my first vacation this year was 800 miles. Yeah, people drive farther than 1 tank of gas.

      How DARE you! Don't you know you're supposed to constrain all your activities to within the range of the typical electric vehicle? Or build time into your travel schedule for hours of recharging along the way? You must want puppies to die, don't you! Puppies and baby seals! You monster!

      --
      In the end they will lay their freedom at our feet and say to us, Make us your slaves, but feed us. - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
    14. Re:CAFE by b0s0z0ku · · Score: 0

      Tesla Superchargers prove otherwise. The tech is there. Not as fast as filling a car, but fast enough to do it over a stop for lunch.

    15. Re:CAFE by b0s0z0ku · · Score: 2

      Time for an electrified higher-speed train between the two cities, along the West Coast. Drive to the station, park, read a book on the train for 8-10 hr, rent a car at the other end.

    16. Re:CAFE by MrLogic17 · · Score: 2

      That used to be true. You're a few years out of date on your stats.

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...

      "... They take about 20 minutes to charge to 50%, 40 minutes to charge to 80%, and 75 minutes to 100% on the original 85 kWh Model S. "

    17. Re:CAFE by rally2xs · · Score: 2, Interesting

      They unfortunately abandoned the real solution, changing out the depleted battery for a fully charged one. When they were promising that, I was interested. But the superchargers now do not fully charge the battery in that 1/2 hour, so you don't get your full 300 miles. I was pretty much at my limit at 800 miles, so if I had to throw 3 or 4 1/2 hour charge sessions in there, I'd have gotten maybe 600 - 650 miles instead of 800. That means an extra motel going to Tucson, which means another $100, maybe more.

      I'm waiting for the real solution, it is coming. No, actually I will probably never see it, as I'm 71. They'll get it working the day after I croak. But for the state of the environment in the year 2100, I think it will be sufficiently perfected and we'll be leaving the carbon in the ground as far as fuels are concerned. Lubricants and petrochemicals will still be a market for the oil, but we won't have to burn it to get from point A to point B.

    18. Re:CAFE by WaffleMonster · · Score: 1

      Which lays bare the real reason these MPG standards were imposed in the first place: to make it impossible to produce or sell anything except electric vehicles. And since the government lacks the power to ban internal-combustion vehicles, government decided to get around that pesky "we don't have the power to do this" issue by making MPG standards that become nearly impossible to meet with a conventional vehicle. It's the same tactic they've used to attack the 2nd Amendment, trying to ban ammunition since they can't ban guns.

      Problem with your conclusions and analogy:

      No gun manufacturer would sign off on ammunition bans.

      All of the major vehicle manufacturers AGREED to the current efficiency standards.

    19. Re:CAFE by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Your FIRST vacation this year?

      EAT. THE. RICH.

    20. Re:CAFE by luis_a_espinal · · Score: 1

      There isn't much left to do. Electric cars are great for short haul, but sometimes people need to drive farther. Small cars are fine for a lot of people, but try jamming a rear-facing car seat in one and you'll find the front seat is nearly unusable.

      With almost 80% of the US population leaving in relatively dense metropolitan areas (and over 50% living in dense metro areas), and with relative short commutes, the general profile is that people do short hauls and electric cars is what makes sense for most of them.

      Obviously this doesn't apply in micropolitan and rural areas where traveling distances can be 3 to 4 those of metropolitan areas (or even more). For those cases, gas engines rule (until the time electric engines become more efficient, in power and in economics... which they will.)

    21. Re:CAFE by luis_a_espinal · · Score: 1

      First day of my first vacation this year was 800 miles. Yeah, people drive farther than 1 tank of gas.

      If I were to make a trip longer than 500 miles, I'd rather rent a car and not add to my car's wear and tear. And I don't drive an electric car (though my wife and I own a Prius and a good old gas-powered Camry.) If we consider the standard estimated cost of $1 per mile (two-way), over 500 miles, or even 300, begins to justify a car rental, me thinks.

    22. Re:CAFE by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The fuck kind of electric car takes eight hours to charge? Mine takes half an hour.

    23. Re:CAFE by BronsCon · · Score: 1

      And come back to find your car broken into or stolen. No, thanks.

      --
      APK quotes people (including myself) without context and should not be trusted. Just thought you should know.
    24. Re:CAFE by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Whatever happened to the hybrid model cars they were talking about that had batteries to handle most things but a generator for the longer trips?

      I remember hearing about them years ago where you could handle 200+ miles on full battery but if you needed to go on long trips, it had a generator that charged the battery and ran the motor while it got low and was geared to do so efficiently.

    25. Re:CAFE by Darinbob · · Score: 2

      No one says everyone must have an electric car. If you live on a rural ranch then get a truck. But it's idiotic to get a gas guzzling truck for the highway commute.

      If you need something for the once a year vacation that's 500 miles away, then you can rent a car for this and save money. That sort of thinking isn't new, it's common in parts of the world. My grand parents had a car for driving into town instead of taking the truck to get groceries.

    26. Re:CAFE by Darinbob · · Score: 1

      So why not rent a car for this, which is cheaper than upgrading the original auto just because every now and then you will take a long distance road trip. It reminds me of people who commute using a Hummer who justify it because once a year they will need to buy something that won't fit into a sedan.

    27. Re:CAFE by b0s0z0ku · · Score: 1

      If you live on a rural ranch, get a hybrid truck which you can charge from your solar array or windmills. Or two trucks -- keep one charging while the other is driven. Electric for local driving, gas motor for longer trips.

    28. Re:CAFE by rally2xs · · Score: 1

      None are actually vacations, as I'm retired. No, I'm not living with the temperature turned down to "frostbite" and eating dog food, I have a nice pension, an annuity bought with the proceeds of a 401k-like structure, and a little Social Security. I travel a lot, or at least used to, as I was rallying with the Sports Car Club of America. I was going to a road rally in Tucson from Virginia when I did that 800 miles. I've been other places this year, too. Intend to be in St. Louis rallying in November. Rich? Nope, but not poor, either.

    29. Re:CAFE by rally2xs · · Score: 1

      The objective is to get to the destination with my (268 horsepower, all-wheel-drive) rally car for 2 road rallies. Can't rent anything like it, and the car was already set up for the rallying anyway - lots of mods for time and distance measuring, as the rallies were TSD, or Time-Speed-Distance rallies. Had a great time. But needed to get there with _my_ car to have the best chance of winning.

    30. Re:CAFE by rally2xs · · Score: 1

      Needed to get there with _my_ car which was special-modified for what I was doing there, explained in a response above in this thread.

    31. Re:CAFE by rally2xs · · Score: 1

      You're not going to telecommute your part in turning out the day's tonnage of new steel - we're bringing back manufacturing, remember?

    32. Re:CAFE by rally2xs · · Score: 1

      What insurance is for. Nobody's f'd with my car for decades... A good train station lot will be secure with patrols...

    33. Re:CAFE by BronsCon · · Score: 1

      What insurance is for.

      Perfect response. Absolutely stunning and genius. Yes, I'll continue paying for comprehensive coverage long past the point where the 6 month cost of coverage exceeds the value of the vehicle.

      Wait, no, I won't, because I'm not a fucking moron and realize that it's not economical to have that coverage on a vehicle more than 5 years old (unless you're still paying for it and your bank requires it). No, at that point I'd just have collision coverage.

      Nobody's f'd with my car for decades

      Good for you. I've had mine broken into a number of times, despite leaving nothing of value in it, let alone in plain sight.

      A good train station lot will be secure with patrols

      And eight years living in the SF Bay area has taught me that a good train station is hard to come by. Even with BART police and and Caltrain transit police patroling, shit still gets stolen and cars still get broken into.

      There's also the fact that train tickets (especially once the line expands to connect all major cities) plus a car rental for a week costs considerably more than a few tanks of gas.

      Oh, and your solution wouldn't have helped with my recent move from CA to WA, wherein I used my truck to haul all of my shit. I suppose you'll suggest I spend a couple grand to have my shit hauled for me, and another couple grand to have the truck towed, eh? Yeah, no, last time I paid professionals $2k to haul my shit across the country, they "lost" several boxes of my stuff, damaged several others, and gave me a box that belonged to someone else.

      Your short-sighted suggestion and the idealistic way point of view from which you defend it show a distinct lack of experience dealing with the world outside your safe little bubble. Go out and get robbed, have your shit stolen, be confronted and threatened for walking through the wrong part of the neighborhood in the evening, then get back to me.

      --
      APK quotes people (including myself) without context and should not be trusted. Just thought you should know.
    34. Re:CAFE by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The question is, how often do you do that?

      If you do that a couple of times a month, then sure, an electric car isn't going to work for you.

      But if it's a once-a-year vacation type of thing, then you should seriously consider getting an EV for everyday use, and separately renting a gas-burning car when necessary for those long trips. It might work out cheaper.

    35. Re:CAFE by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I don't have an electric car yet. But, if I need to go out of town like that, I get a rental. If you truly sit down and figure out all of your vehicle costs and divide by the miles you've gotten out of cars in the past, most will find that it really does come to somewhere around $0.50 per mile. Your 700 miles likely cost around $350 in gas plus wear and tear on your car. I find it much cheaper to find a rental with no mileage penalty or very low mileage penalty and use that.

      If it breaks down, you don't have to worry about trying to get a repair on vacation. The company will get you a new one pronto. (I've had that one happen - transmission - it was a nightmare - rental home - ride back with the tow truck - tow about 200 miles - etc.

      In addition, it's a vacation! Who wants to go in the same old family car they always use! Live a little! Get something that you could never normally afford to drive around town. It will still likely cost less than driving your own.

    36. Re:CAFE by rally2xs · · Score: 1

      You sound like you're really stuck out there in Liberalville, with getting ripped off every time you turn around. Move to Virginia. About every 3rd person I talk to tells me they're carrying, and I suppose if anyone F's with them, it will earn them a bullet. I have radios in my car, antennas on it all over the place, one car is a red Subaru WRX and the other a new Jeep, and people just don't mess out here as much. Don't ask me. But I like it.

      Can't say why your car gets targeted when it is displaying no stealables inside. I stopped getting broken into via the "messy car defense." That is, I kept newspapers and coats / hoodies in the car, and if there was anything in the car I thought would be interesting to a thief, I threw a newspaper or a coat over it. Has worked great for me for about 20 years. Car is a mess, but the mess is all mine, and its the same mess when I come out of the movie or bar or wherever as the mess I left it in when I went in.

    37. Re:CAFE by BronsCon · · Score: 1

      Move to Virginia. About every 3rd person I talk to tells me they're carrying, and I suppose if anyone F's with them, it will earn them a bullet.

      Well, with the 9th Circuit's recent decision, we have unrestricted open carry here, now. The only caveat is that localities can require concealment, but cannot require a permit if concealment is required. It's still early in the game to see if it's going to stick or not, but it seems we might have more gun freedom here in WA than you do there.

      people just don't mess out here as much

      In fairness, when I had my car broken into several times, I lived in Ohio. The irony is, the one time I actually did have a radio in it, the door was unlocked and the radio wasn't properly mounted (I was waiting for the mounting kit to arrive) and could be grabbed and taken out of the dash easily. They still broke my window and tore up my dash stealing the damn thing.

      --
      APK quotes people (including myself) without context and should not be trusted. Just thought you should know.
    38. Re:CAFE by rally2xs · · Score: 1

      Well, liberalville was in reference to the anti-gun atmosphere, which Ohio also shares. I'm from Ohio too, and most of the time that I've been hit by car interior thieves its been in Toledo. 70's and 80's, mostly.

      And of course you don't want open carry 'cuz then you have to be Arnold to be strong enough to retain it if someone sees it and decides to try to take it away from you. Concealed is the way to go, so's people don't see it and try to take it from you and shoot you with it.

    39. Re:CAFE by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      Whatever happened to the hybrid model cars they were talking about that had batteries to handle most things but a generator for the longer trips?

      Putting a trailer behind the average person's vehicle is a non-starter. They'd jackknife the first time they tried to back it. Also, it wouldn't fit into most parking spaces. So you have to have them pick it up and put it into the vehicle. I have a 7kw generator. It weighs over 200 pounds dry. I can barely get it into the van for transport. I can lift 200 pounds OK if it's a convenient shape, but it's unwieldy. That's only got a 420cc engine. The i3 has a 647cc range extender engine, and that's a tiny little peanut of a car. So now you need some kind of lifting device to manage lifting the generator into the vehicle. You really think it makes sense to have consumers operating machinery just to get their generator installed?

      What happened to the generator? Reality happened.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    40. Re:CAFE by Cochonou · · Score: 1

      This is pretty much a niche use. I do not think that it will be a big problem for the environment if people continue to use combustion engines for such niche uses... and likewise, if rally cars do not convert to electric.

    41. Re:CAFE by thegarbz · · Score: 1

      The problem is taking 8 hours to recharge the car.

      Welcome time traveller to 2018. Much has happened during your 10 year coma.

    42. Re:CAFE by BostonPilot · · Score: 1

      I've had two electric cars so far, waiting for my Model 3 to be delivered. One of the cars is a Volt, so I've some experience with PHEVs...

      I don't think pure BEV pickup trucks will be popular in the near future. For people who want to tow, I don't think BEV will have the range for a while. However, hybrid should be a really good fit with a pickup truck. The torque available from an electrified drive train fits really well with towing etc. Everyone remember this stunt? https://money.cnn.com/2018/05/...

      My brother in law is a plumber and I don't think a BEV pickup truck would work for him unless it had 300 miles of range - he can't predict where he'll need to run next, and someone with a plumbing problem isn't going to want to wait for him to recharge his truck first. On the other hand, fuel is a huge cost for him, so getting a much more economical vehicle would really help his bottom line.

      I keep thinking a combination of hybrid + something like the Achates engine (https://www.trucks.com/2018/01/15/detroit-auto-show-achates-aramco-pickup-engine/) gives us a chance at ~50 mpg pickup trucks in well under a decade.

      Now if we could just convince all those people who own pickup trucks and use them just as a passenger vehicle to switch to something more fuel efficient...

    43. Re:CAFE by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      Unfortunately, the Kochs are spending quite a bit of money to convince people that public transportation is bad for them. I've been watching the battle play out in Santa Cruz, over rail+trail vs. rails to trails. There's a group which calls itself "greenway" which spreads a lot of outright lies about how great it's supposed to be to rip out the rails and replace them with a trail. Their lies are numerous, but the most important one is about right-of-way. A significant portion of the right-of-way will revert to private ownership if it is not used for a railway, and there will be neither rail nor trail. Another is about railbanking; they claim the rails can be removed and stored so that there could be a railway there again in the future some day. But that will never ever happen, on the basis that it never does. Railbanking has never been reverted, ever. Finally, they lie about the costs; In fact, there is already money available in the Californian budget for transportation projects, which the area can either get a piece of (to fix their rails) or not. Unfortunately, lies are often effective, and many area residents have been duped into opposing the rail+trail plan on a variety of bases. Nearby rail systems similar to what the region would wind up with are successful and useful.

      As long as the education system does not teach critical thinking skills adequately, the world will continue to go into the toilet rapidly.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    44. Re:CAFE by Macdude · · Score: 1

      The problem is taking 8 hours to recharge the car. We can't fast-charge yet like we can fuel a car with gasoline. We need to be able to do that and we can't. So electric cars are not truly viable yet.

      Current electric cars easily handle 98% of the driving 98% of the population does. For the other 2% rent a car. Seriously, for the two trips a year you make that an electric car can't handle, just rent a gas or hybrid car. You'll save far more in fuel costs than you will spend in rental costs.

      --
      "Grab them by the pussy" -- President of the United States of America
    45. Re:CAFE by rally2xs · · Score: 1

      I make a lot more than 2 trips a year, and need _my_ car because it is fast and quick and outfitted with certain modifications that facilitate what I do. Having _my_ car means a competitive advantage in the sport I use it in. And of course the rest of the time I have my non-electric car to go get the groceries, go to the movies (am writing this in the movie theater parking lot after seeing a movie), going to the gym (later today), and so forth. If I could have yet a 3rd car (also have a Jeep for a few other purposes) I'd have an electric, but damn, I can't afford 3 cars. Its a financial thing, y'know?

    46. Re: CAFE by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Actually no, some of live in Canada you retard. Itâ(TM)s called winter. Moving shit around, donâ(TM)t need a ranch to want a truck.

    47. Re:CAFE by Highdude702 · · Score: 1

      so basically fuck people without tons of disposable income getting to travel places?

  17. I would not mind this stupidity ... by Alain+Williams · · Score: 5, Interesting

    if the extra air pollution that it will cause would, somehow, be kept within the borders of the USA. It does not: it follows the winds and ends up harming the rest of us. If it did stay within the USA then those who caused it would suffer the consequences; but pollution is a global problem, not a national one - so it upsets me to see those who seemingly put, what they see, as their interests first and do not act in global interests.

    Please do not take this as an attack of most who live in the USA, I have friends who live there. Most are good guys who want to behave in a responsible way. It is unfortunate that your current president does not care about the planet, only making money for those who support him.

    1. Re:I would not mind this stupidity ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      He's got a whole new meaning for the term "bully pulpit".

    2. Re:I would not mind this stupidity ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Not just pollution, what about all of the wars?! Those certainly have not been kept within their borders.

    3. Re:I would not mind this stupidity ... by Alain+Williams · · Score: 1

      It would be nice, but not possible, if their pollution would stay within their national borders. We should bear in mind that we exported pollution to China: they took a lot of our ''recycling'' (ie rubbish), but have recently stopped - rightly making us deal with our own mess.

    4. Re:I would not mind this stupidity ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Interesting, something like ~30% 0f the west coast air pollution comes from Asia. Are you going to export that argument, because the USA would be in far better shape without Asia's pollution, too. Welcome to supporting Asia environmentally.

    5. Re:I would not mind this stupidity ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      > but have recently stopped - rightly making us deal with our own mess.

      Mess that we buy from them... Not sure who is responsible. Everybody?

    6. Re:I would not mind this stupidity ... by fatwilbur · · Score: 1

      I see the American politics are indeed reaching the rest of the world. Refusing to debate a policy chance on it's merits and resorting to over-the-top generalizations like "does not care about the planet" is the reason the US political landscape is so fractured. Objectively, there is a hell of a lot more a president could to besides freezing efficiency standards for 6 years before I made such a claim.

    7. Re:I would not mind this stupidity ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      if the extra air pollution that it will cause would, somehow, be kept within the borders of the USA. It does not: it follows the winds and ends up harming the rest of us. If it did stay within the USA then those who caused it would suffer the consequences; but pollution is a global problem, not a national one - so it upsets me to see those who seemingly put, what they see, as their interests first and do not act in global interests.

      Please do not take this as an attack of most who live in the USA, I have friends who live there. Most are good guys who want to behave in a responsible way. It is unfortunate that your current president does not care about the planet, only making money for those who support him.

      Anything that's not putting your own interests first is socialism, and we can't have that.

  18. Executive power by MobyDisk · · Score: 1

    Which aspects of fuel efficiency was an executive order to the EPA, and which ones are backed by legislation? Yesterday NPR was talking how Trump will extend the short-term insurance rule 3 months to 3 years. Is that possible because the ACA grants the executive the ability to set the maximum length of a short-term health care plan? It's funny to me what they put in the statutes and what they grant to various committees and offices.

  19. Even bigger SUVs? Is it possible at all? by Max_W · · Score: 2

    Roll back fuel standards, - what it could mean? Will we witness 5 tons SUVs instead of 3 tons? 700 hp motors instead of current 500 hp? 400 km/h speedometers instead of 300 km/h?

    I mean, - could it be even worse standards than we had all these years, and which led to these monsters on the roads.

    1. Re:Even bigger SUVs? Is it possible at all? by drinkypoo · · Score: 2

      I mean, - could it be even worse standards than we had all these years, and which led to these monsters on the roads.

      Now that American consumers are used to buying them, it absolutely will lead to more and worse gas-guzzling SUVs, right up until the next time fuel prices skyrocket. It will happen sooner or later.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    2. Re:Even bigger SUVs? Is it possible at all? by Obfuscant · · Score: 1

      Roll back fuel standards, - what it could mean? ... I mean, - could it be even worse standards than we had all these years,

      If you bothered to read the summary, which is a verbatim copy of the first part of the NPR story, you'd learn that "roll back the fuel standards" actually doesn't mean rolling them back, it means freezing them at a level better than today's -- two years in the future, actually.

      So no, it will not mean "even worse standards than we had all these years", and it is ridiculous hyperbole to say that kind of nonsense. It's a pathetic attempt at fear mongering and politicizing the issue.

    3. Re:Even bigger SUVs? Is it possible at all? by fropenn · · Score: 1

      This is probably the solution - high gas prices. Then we will see high efficiency vehicles selling like crazy.

      So let Trump have his fuel economy reduction, but just force them to pair it with higher gasoline and oil taxes (yeah, right).

    4. Re:Even bigger SUVs? Is it possible at all? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      please RTFA.

      Trump is rolling back rules Obama put in place which go into effect in the FUTURE, and require FUTURE cars to be more efficient that CURRENT cars.

      it's not like this is the thin end of the wedge or anything...

      oh wait, it stands to reason that your joke may actually happen.

    5. Re:Even bigger SUVs? Is it possible at all? by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      So let Trump have his fuel economy reduction, but just force them to pair it with higher gasoline and oil taxes (yeah, right).

      Specifically, carbon taxes, with no trading. We should permit offsetting by fixing carbon, regardless of means. Instead of specifically ramping up fuel economy requirements, ramp up carbon taxes. That would let the market decide, once the carbon tax costs were baked into everything. But not just for cars... for everything.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
  20. You know what else will hurt car makers? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    A fucking bullshit tradewar.

  21. Can we start preparing an indictment? by presidenteloco · · Score: 1, Troll

    So that the main champions of thwarting and reversing attempts to combat greenhouse gas based global warming can be prosecuted in the International Criminal Court in the future?

    Many legal tests are based on "what a reasonable person should have known" and "what action a reasonable person would take, given this knowledge."

    Criminal negligence, fraud (in communication about the issue), criminal conspiricy (between fossil fuel industry and corrupt politicians acting on their behalf). etc. etc.

    Let's start this effort, please. The current policy insanity cannot continue.

    There is no excuse of ignorance at this late date.
    Read https://www.nytimes.com/intera...
    for a good history of "when we knew".

    --

    Where are we going and why are we in a handbasket?
    1. Re:Can we start preparing an indictment? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Wow... why do you even post?

      You do understand that while climate change is a difficult challenge to solve, what you're proposing would undermine the rule of law and several foundational aspects of how a legal and fair society would operate? You're really willing to throw out civilization for this?

    2. Re:Can we start preparing an indictment? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      He doesn't care, any more than a spoiled child cares about anything at all - except for getting that shiny piece of candy at the grocery store, and damn the consequences.

    3. Re:Can we start preparing an indictment? by presidenteloco · · Score: 0

      Free speech is a right, but sometimes speech can constitute criminal negligence or manslaughter, such as yelling "fire" in a crowded theatre.
      Another example would be telling people it's fine to swim here, when you know there are strong ripcurrents and sharks with frickin' lasers in the area.
      Speech that encourages war crimes is also prosecutable.
      Or selling a product, like tobacco, when you know of its harmful effects but have actually engaged in a campaign of disinformation to reduce peoples' concern about the harm.

      Starting to get my drift?
       

      --

      Where are we going and why are we in a handbasket?
  22. Time to start adding Lead to fuel again by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Lead is better for engines, everyone knows that. Time to get this economy back on track!

  23. Hell yeah by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The Rambling Unprecedented Mock President is at it again.

  24. Profits The Future by Rick+Schumann · · Score: 1

    More catering to out-of-control capitalism from this Administration.
    'Human-caused global climate change' isn't good for profits, so it's ridiculed and ignored, officially. Screw the future, who cares about 100 years from now, that's someone else's problem, make The Rich richer, now, and to Hell with everyone and everything else.
    Got lead or other toxic chemicals in your tap water or the air you breathe, giving you cancer, ruining your childrens' brains, and so on? Tough shit, it's your fault for being The Poor.
    Wildfires out of control? Wild weather destroying your homes? Ocean levels rising, flooding you out of your city? Etc, etc, etc? Tough shit, not their problem, deal with it, LOL.
    The Dominionists I'm sure will love this. Anything that gives them more money to further fortify their private compounds against the ravening hordes of Unbelievers when the apocalypse happens is great so far as they're concerned, and the faster the Earth and our civilzation is destroyed, the sooner the Second Coming will happen, and they can all make like rats fleeing a sinking ship and go back home to Heaven (or so they think will happen).
    Would almost like to be there when they discover none of that will happen, there won't be any Second Coming, and there's nowhere for them to flee. Earth is all we've got, and we'd damned well better take better care of it than we have been or else.

  25. Re: Because it hurts our economy. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    https://www.reddit.com/r/LateStageCapitalism/comments/93zejn/psst/

  26. You know what else makes up the basic fiber... by roubles · · Score: 1

    .. of american life? Cancer.

    Reformulating gasoline, and more efficient cars dramatically reduce the risk of cancer.

    Source: https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/news/st...

    1. Re:You know what else makes up the basic fiber... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I was going to say racism, but cancer works, too.

  27. Cars are the biggest problem by DogDude · · Score: 1

    New cars regardless of mileage emit so little that I don't get why the focus is simply on that one factor.

    Because the science shows that the #1 factor in climate change are cars.
    https://www.ucsusa.org/clean-v...

    --
    I don't respond to AC's.
    1. Re:Cars are the biggest problem by AlanBDee · · Score: 1

      [...] emitting around 24 pounds of carbon dioxide and other global-warming gases for every gallon of gas. About five pounds comes from the extraction, production, and delivery of the fuel, while the great bulk of heat-trapping emissions—more than 19 pounds per gallon—comes right out of a car’s tailpipe.

      How does one gallon of gas turn into 19 pounds of CO2? I was going to call BS but then I found the answer: https://www.fueleconomy.gov/fe...

      Turns out it's 19 pounds after Oxygen is added.

  28. Unintended consequences? by MAXOMENOS · · Score: 2

    Note that the electric vehicle market - led by Tesla Motors - has taken off in the wake of Trump's election. If (and this is a big if) one of the primary factors in this is consumer reaction against Trump's pro-fossil fuel policies, this could accelerate that trend, perhaps to the point where it starts to take a real bite out of the oil market.

    1. Re:Unintended consequences? by Areyoukiddingme · · Score: 1

      Note that the electric vehicle market - led by Tesla Motors - has taken off in the wake of Trump's election.

      I don't know about the short term, but long term, this is a major boon for Tesla.

      If incumbent auto manufacturers don't have to improve fuel efficiency, they can and will start coasting again, and not improving. They will stop looking at hybrids, plug-in or not, because they won't need them to meet efficiency requirements, which means their experience with battery electric vehicles will stop. Down the road, in 5 to 8 years, when oil prices have gone back up, people will be wanting electric cars, and the incumbents will have no more experience in making electrics than they do now, while Tesla will be much much better at it. GM will need yet another bailout (I'm sure GM senior management can maneuver their way into another $100 billion in debt by then—hookers and blow aren't free, ya know), while Tesla will be fine.

    2. Re:Unintended consequences? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      There is a downside to fast electrification of cars and that is oil demand reduces causing the oil price to drop due to over supply. This incentivises people to buy gas guzzlers. So the car market will split into electric cars versus SUV gas guzzlers and in the USA that is happening due to cheap oil.

      Governments will need to increase fuel taxes and pollution taxes (low emission zones in cities) in order to reduce the demand for gas guzzlers. Sadly, in the USA that is unlikely to happen.

    3. Re:Unintended consequences? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      it starts to take a real bite out of the oil market.

      It already has for the market segment of the model 3 : https://www.forbes.com/sites/niallmccarthy/2018/07/30/the-tesla-model-3-blew-away-the-competition-in-july-infographic/

  29. Dumbest reasoning ever by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    If all progress and standards were prevented because there *might* be some downside, no advances would ever be made. On top of this dumb reasoning, I bet if you incorporated the deaths due to increased emissions on overall life expectancy you would find that they actually prevent many more deaths in the long term.

  30. How this will backfire on Trump by Rick+Schumann · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Go right ahead, Trump, play into the hands of the Dominionists if you like. But it won't have the long term effect you think it will. You think you can just roll back the calendar to the 1940's or something? LOL, you're living in a fantasy world, Trump.

    Businesses and corporations, even in the energy sector, are already embracing solar and other renewables. You can't halt that without interfering in the free-market economy.

    Meanwhile plug-in electric cars and hybrids are gaining more and more of a foothold in the United States, and they're becoming more affordable. More and more infrastructure to support them is being invested in and installed.

    Oil prices won't stay low forever. They'll spike up, and driving gas-guzzlers around will become prohibitively expensive. Electrics will become more and more attractive in the face of that.

    Clearly and objectively we need to move away from fossil fuel use anyway and everyone except apparently the Trump Administration sees this. Making ICEs less efficient will just help make electrics and renewables more attractive.

    1. Re:How this will backfire on Trump by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You're acting like Trump hates electric cars and anything environment friendly. You're fighting a straw man. These policies are economic. They're about helping the auto industry work on fuel economy over a longer period of time, which will work itself out as electric cars become more popular.

    2. Re:How this will backfire on Trump by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yeah, sure thing, all the people he appoints to head up the most important government agencies just screams "progressiveness".
      You're a fucking moron. He, and the GOP, clearly and objectively wants to drag us backwards socially to the 1940's or maybe 1950's. Trump himself is the epitomy of the "Great White Male" and sociologically speaking the 1940's are the era he'd be most comfortable in, and that's what he'd like America to go back to. The GOP is not about the future or progress, either, they're about the status quo and white-anglo-saxon-christian society. Fossil fuels were good enough for their parents and grandparents, therefore they're good enough now, too, "..and all the tree-hugging liberals, women, and foreigners should shut up and like it because we say so". That's what you're defending.

  31. This is all around good decision by sinij · · Score: 1, Insightful

    I am car enthusiast and I approve of this decision. Emission standards on ICE are well past diminishing returns point, it costs A LOT of money for hardware and A LOT of development expenses to squeeze additional marginal gains.

    Shipping, manufacturing, agriculture all produce a lot more emissions than personal transportation. Yet it is cars that are over, over, over regulated.

    1. Re:This is all around good decision by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      Emission standards on ICE are well past diminishing returns point,

      Every automaker thinks that there is substantial efficiency to be wrung out of pure ICEs. Mazda is already doing it.

      it costs A LOT of money for hardware and A LOT of development expenses to squeeze additional marginal gains.

      Every single major automaker, even FCA, already has the technology worked out to meet the current mileage requirement schedule. Every single one. In fact, most of them were years ahead of schedule developing the technology. And that's actually without hybridization.

      Every single automaker, even FCA is preparing to "electrify" their entire lineup, which means mostly mild hybrids but which will include a mixture of hybrids, plugin hybrids, and full-EVs. In fact, a mild hybrid RAM truck is just about to hit the market.

      Shipping, manufacturing, agriculture all produce a lot more emissions than personal transportation.

      That's a good reason to regulate those industries more tightly. California, as usual, is at the forefront of that in America. For example, some of our ports have banned bunker fuel, and the rest will follow suit. We instituted anti-idling laws, so big rigs which operate in California now carry APUs with power generation and air conditioning instead of having to idle their big motor. California is also working to regulate off-road diesel engines, such as those used in agricultural equipment.

      If you actually care about that stuff that you're talking about, then you should support California in being able to set its own emissions standards, and for other states to be permitted to use them as well.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    2. Re:This is all around good decision by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I am car enthusiast and I approve of this decision. Emission standards on ICE are well past diminishing returns point, it costs A LOT of money for hardware and A LOT of development expenses to squeeze additional marginal gains.

      Shipping, manufacturing, agriculture all produce a lot more emissions than personal transportation. Yet it is cars that are over, over, over regulated.

      Your “enthusiasm” does not compare to the necessary activities of human civilization.

      Grow up.

    3. Re:This is all around good decision by _Sharp'r_ · · Score: 1

      So if all the automakers already have the technology and if people want to buy it, then there is no need to create regulations forcing people to do it, right? Automakers would just naturally do it just to compete and sell more cars.

      Of course, if that's just B.S. and people don't actually want to pay an ever increasing amount of money to squeeze another tiny amount of fuel efficiency out of their cars, then maybe we should respect their individual choices and let them buy the cars they actually want, in the process benefiting more people with more new cars they like.

      --
      The party of stupid and the party of evil get together and do something both stupid and evil, then call it bipartisan.
    4. Re:This is all around good decision by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      So if all the automakers already have the technology and if people want to buy it, then there is no need to create regulations forcing people to do it, right?
      Of course, if that's just B.S.

      It is just B.S. Americans care more about power than mileage because fuel is cheap here. My argument was about cost. It doesn't cost anything at this point to do the research, because they have already done it. That cost has already been sunk.

      then maybe we should respect their individual choices and let them buy the cars they actually want,

      If people want to shoot other people in the face, then maybe we should respect their individual choices and let them shoot the people they want to shoot.

      The only difference between that statement and your argument is that shooting someone in the face only harms that person, but releasing more CO2 than the planet can sink harms everyone.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    5. Re:This is all around good decision by _Sharp'r_ · · Score: 1

      The two aren't the same. Shooting someone in the face does predicable and direct harm to them. Driving a slightly less fuel efficient car and spending the difference in cost on something else doesn't.

      If the harm is so obvious and direct, then by that argument, you should be suffocated because you release CO2 every time you breathe, which harms everyone on the planet. Obviously as you aren't suffocating yourself, you don't actually believe that every bit of CO2 emitted is a harm to everyone on the planet which must be prevented by the force of government.

      --
      The party of stupid and the party of evil get together and do something both stupid and evil, then call it bipartisan.
    6. Re:This is all around good decision by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      Obviously as you aren't suffocating yourself, you don't actually believe that every bit of CO2 emitted is a harm to everyone on the planet which must be prevented by the force of government.

      Yeah, good thing that's not what I said. Breathing is a basic human right.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    7. Re:This is all around good decision by _Sharp'r_ · · Score: 1

      Life, liberty, property and the pursuit of happiness are also basic human rights, yet you advocate for arbitrarily forcibly denying those to people because you don't agree with their choice in vehicles.

      --
      The party of stupid and the party of evil get together and do something both stupid and evil, then call it bipartisan.
    8. Re:This is all around good decision by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      Life, liberty, property and the pursuit of happiness are also basic human rights, yet you advocate for arbitrarily forcibly denying those to people because you don't agree with their choice in vehicles.

      Their choice in vehicles interferes with the life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness of others. And their property, for that matter, by driving climate change. You don't actually believe in those rights in the slightest.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    9. Re:This is all around good decision by sinij · · Score: 1

      Yes, and this is exactly why you should be forced into vegan diet. Raising meat releases a lot of greenhouse and CO2 emissions.

    10. Re:This is all around good decision by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      Yes, and this is exactly why you should be forced into vegan diet. Raising meat releases a lot of greenhouse and CO2 emissions.

      Nah. It's good enough to be forced into eating goats raised on kudzu. Cows have probably got to go, though.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    11. Re:This is all around good decision by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      https://www.epa.gov/greenvehicles/fast-facts-transportation-greenhouse-gas-emissions

      60% of emissions in the transportation sector are from light duty vehicles. Transportation is 28% of all USA emissions, agriculture 8%, and Eve less net. Industry accounts for 20%, but not all is manufacturing. You scored at most one point for accuracy, probably zzero

  32. Mild hybrids by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    There isn't much left to do. Electric cars are great for short haul, but sometimes people need to drive farther. Small cars are fine for a lot of people, but try jamming a rear-facing car seat in one and you'll find the front seat is nearly unusable.

    Mild hybrids:

    * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mild_hybrid

    Using a low-voltage 48V system for start-stop traffic and urban driving where one often goes less than 50 kph / 30 mph.

  33. This is likely to worsen safety by u19925 · · Score: 2

    Many car companies subsidize their small cars and make more profit on large vehicles. They do this to meet the fleet efficiency. If you reduce the required efficiency standards then they will be able to meet the efficiency standards with large vehicles and will stop subsidizing small vehicles. This will result in more bigger vehicles on the road. It will cause chain reaction since once you reach critical mass of big vehicles, people in small vehicles will feel less safe. A collision between two vehicles is more deadly than collision between two small vehicles. Collision between large and small vehicle is more deadly to small vehicle. Already America is lagging behind Europe in road fatality because it has more percentage of large vehicles. This will make it even worse.

    1. Re:This is likely to worsen safety by sinij · · Score: 1

      Why do you think safety should be higher priority than meeting consumer demand?

    2. Re:This is likely to worsen safety by Jzanu · · Score: 1

      Safety is more important because it is the factor upon which all others depend. Information asymmetry corrupts markets - consumers don't know there are product defects beyond cursory inspection, certainly not on any sophisticated level requiring long term study. It is the responsibility of the state to reduce that asymmetry and improve welfare by taxing the contrary impulses and if necessary outright criminalizing them.

    3. Re:This is likely to worsen safety by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yeah! To hell with the Underwriter's Lab, too! And eliminate gross negligence liability for 'job creators'!

    4. Re:This is likely to worsen safety by prisoner-of-enigma · · Score: 1

      It is the responsibility of the state to reduce that asymmetry and improve welfare by taxing the contrary impulses and if necessary outright criminalizing them.

      North Korea called. They want to know how you managed to copy and promote their government rulebook without the consent of Dear Leader. Report to a gulag immediately for punishment and re-education.

      --
      In the end they will lay their freedom at our feet and say to us, Make us your slaves, but feed us. - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
    5. Re:This is likely to worsen safety by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      seig fucking heil, saurkraut.

    6. Re:This is likely to worsen safety by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Safety is more important because it is the factor upon which all others depend. Information asymmetry corrupts markets - consumers don't know there are product defects beyond cursory inspection, certainly not on any sophisticated level requiring long term study. It is the responsibility of the state to reduce that asymmetry and improve welfare by taxing the contrary impulses and if necessary outright criminalizing them.

      And in this wet-dream nanny-state of yours, are motorcycles allowed to exist? Last I checked they still aren't required to have seat belts or air bags.

    7. Re:This is likely to worsen safety by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Read the original article. The govt is claiming improved safety since they believe the auto maker will spend extra saving on adding new safety systems. If you want to troll at least do it anonymously.

    8. Re:This is likely to worsen safety by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      fuck off you ignorant disingenuous faggot

    9. Re:This is likely to worsen safety by sinij · · Score: 1

      All other factors are not dependent on safety. For example, cost of maintenance.

      You are proceeding to argue without justifying your priors.

      Here is counter argument. Safety is not at all important. Modern cars are safe enough, many consumers would prefer cheaper car and leather seats to additional improvements in road safety. We ought not to impose our will and presume to know better. You, personally, are still free to prioritize your car purchases any way you want.

    10. Re:This is likely to worsen safety by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      you have to be alive to value anything else try again

    11. Re:This is likely to worsen safety by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You utterly worthless neo-Nazi scum, go back to your hidden worship your cowardly dead god in the hole you crawled out of before I put you on the ground permanently.

  34. And this affects California how? by Johnberg · · Score: 1

    I don't see how this affects California. They make their own rules and standards. I guess it only affects them if car makers don't want to sell cars in California.

    1. Re:And this affects California how? by Volda · · Score: 2

      California gets a waiver from the fed so they can create their own standards and not use the national standard, which is lower. From what I read they would no longer get this waiver and be forced to follow the national standard. The reason they got the waiver in the first place was because of environmental issues they were having in places like LA. It forced them to have a higher standard then the rest of the nation.

    2. Re:And this affects California how? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I don't know if there are any particulars that push this in favor of California, but in the overall picture, the reasons for California having stricter standards do seem to be in the past. The VW diesel fiasco shows that these regulations have entered the point of diminishing returns. In other words, ICE isn't getting any cleaner. Deal.

    3. Re:And this affects California how? by b0s0z0ku · · Score: 1

      "Pollution" in the form of NOx, unburnt hydrocarbons, and particulates is a completely different thing from efficiency and CO2 emission.

  35. Re:Trump 2020 by Dragonslicer · · Score: 5, Funny

    breath of fresh air

    And now they're working on fixing that.

  36. Can we drop the ethanol requirements now? by pecosdave · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Regular gas engines do better WITHOUT ethanol - I would say it was actually worse for the environment due to decreased efficiency and decreased life-span of other parts in regular gas engines. Also, gas doesn't keep as long with Ethanol. I have a big gas can for my lawn mower, I use it for a couple of months, then dump what's left in my car and go fill it up again. If it were just plain gas I could just keep it until I emptied it through the lawn mower - could take a couple of years.

    I recently rented a flex-fuel vehicle, and I ran it with both E15 and E85. That vehicle probably did produce less pollution running E85, enough to justify the decrease in efficiency, but making us run it in our normal gas engines isn't helping anyone but the corn lobby.

    --
    The preceding post was not a Slashvertisement.
    1. Re:Can we drop the ethanol requirements now? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Not sure about the pollution aspects (I'd need to see a study on that), however as ethanol has lower energy density than straight gasoline of course gasoline is more efficient per volume.

      Having said the above, I thought the ethanol additions were more a subsidy for corn farmers than an environmental aspect.

    2. Re:Can we drop the ethanol requirements now? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I partially agree with you...partially. Ethanol is less dense than gasoline in terms of energy, but it is more efficient if the vehicle is tuned for it. Due to its higher water content, turbocharged vehicles can take advantage of the cooler burning ethanol and run extra boost and timing, resulting in a more efficient burn. It makes great race gas. However, most US vehicles aren't tuned to take advantage of ethanol in this manner.

    3. Re:Can we drop the ethanol requirements now? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      >but making us run it in our normal gas engines isn't helping anyone but the corn lobby.
      It will depend on the amount of money flowing from the corn lobby to trump.

    4. Re:Can we drop the ethanol requirements now? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Trump won't dump the ethanol subsidy because it goes to red state Farmers

    5. Re:Can we drop the ethanol requirements now? by pecosdave · · Score: 1

      seriously?

      You're going there when the group that started all this shit acted during W's term? I thought it was still socially acceptable to hate on W.

      --
      The preceding post was not a Slashvertisement.
    6. Re:Can we drop the ethanol requirements now? by jonwil · · Score: 2

      There are suggestions that ethanol produced from corn (as opposed to say swichgrass or hemp or even sugar cane) actually results in a net increase in overall harm to the planet due to how intensive the production process for corn ethanol is.

    7. Re:Can we drop the ethanol requirements now? by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      However, most US vehicles aren't tuned to take advantage of ethanol in this manner.

      Are there in fact any turbocharged flex-fuel vehicles sold in the USA? Because that's the only time it makes sense. The fuel quality sensor tells the vehicle how much alcohol is in the fuel, and the more there is, the more boost you can run.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    8. Re:Can we drop the ethanol requirements now? by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      Virtually all corn for fuel is grown continuously, i.e. without crop rotation or even letting fields lie fallow. It is slightly energy-positive these days, but only just barely, and the vehicles that are used to cultivate and harvest the corn generally have very high emissions. (California is trying to regulate that, at least within our borders... but this is not a big corn state.) Topsoil-based fuel feedstocks are selling out the future for a minuscule improvement (if any) today. We have the technology to use algae, which can be made into a variety of biofuels through well-understood processes which should be profitable even at current fuel prices.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    9. Re:Can we drop the ethanol requirements now? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I own a flex fuel SUV. It gets better gas mileage on ethanol free gas than the non flex fuel version.
      It also gets better mileage on e10 (mandatory now, with the exception of farm equipment) than the non flex fuel version.

  37. Interesting claim... by MiniMike · · Score: 1

    The agencies say that increasing fuel efficiency requirements contributes to an increase in the cost of new cars and trucks, which may discourage consumers from buying new vehicles. Because newer vehicles have advanced safety features, the administration argues, increasing fuel economy requirements therefore harms highway safety, as well as having economic effects.

    Interesting claim, have any references to support that? Seems to me that most people would buy a car that met their budget either way, and that buyers with little cash might appreciate the better fuel economy and savings from a more efficient car.

  38. Swamp by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    So when he said he would 'drain the swamp' he was telling the truth. He drained it and build a luxury resort there. Now the swamp dwellers live in style and the trump corporation gets paid for it.

  39. States rights by pablo_max · · Score: 1

    The funny thing about republicans.
    When it comes to denying rights based on race or sexual preference the republicans are always banging on about states rights.
    Want to prevent people from getting insurance? States rights.
    Gay cannot get married. States rights.
    Not let blacks into uni? States rights.

    Want to prevent your children from breathing poison? Who do they think they are? States cannot just do what they feel like.

    If are a Republican and support states rights to discriminate against people you hate dont support their rights to protect their residence, then you are a racist piece of shit. Full stop.
    Sure, you can pretend you are not a racist steaming pile of shit, but we all know you are. Personally, I could not care if you are steaming pile of shit racist or not. What bothers me is your hypocritical. Stop being a coward and just admit what you are. A steaming giant pile of shit.

    1. Re:States rights by prisoner-of-enigma · · Score: 1

      Here's a question I'd love you to answer: name me anything about this rollback that prevents any manufacturer anywhere from exceeding them?

      You can't, because it doesn't. If there's market demand for smaller, more fuel-efficient econoboxes then manufacturers will make them in droves to satisfy that demand. What you don't like is there is no such demand. You don't like that people are making choices of their own free economic will that conflict with what you think they should choose. And rather than allowing people to choose, you want them forced to choose the way you want them to choose, which isn't choice at all. It's compulsion by government force. You're obviously not aware that giving the government the power to regulate your right to make free, nonviolent choices is a bad thing, probably because you've never studied the history of what happens when you give government more and more power over your daily life. I'll give you the TL;DR version: it doesn't end well and your cherished utopia where everyone makes choices you want them to make can't exist.

      --
      In the end they will lay their freedom at our feet and say to us, Make us your slaves, but feed us. - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
    2. Re:States rights by polar+red · · Score: 1

      >when you give government more and more power over your daily life.
      what happens in the US is even worse: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... at least a government is elected.

      --
      Yes, I'm left. You have a problem with that?
    3. Re:States rights by pablo_max · · Score: 1

      This is a strawman argument and you know it.
      Is there no demand for fast broadband at a reasonable price? Of course there is! Then why hasnt your magic market offered it? I guess it because LACK of choice is very good for businesses.
      Companies want to do one thing and one thing only. Make money.
      Do people want a SUV that gets 50MPG? Of course they do. But, it is far more profitable to offer one that gets 18 mpg. The margin on trucks and SUVs is amazingly high. There is zero incentive to change the situation.
      In the end people in the US cannot live without a car. So, they have to buy what is available.
      Just look to history man.
      Without governments forcing companies to do shit we would still have company stores and companies dumping all their shit into the rivers, using poison instead of the proper foodstuffs. Basically all the shit you were seeing in China the last 10 years.
      People are greedy as fuck. Groups of people will try to fuck you every way they can when there is money involved. Don't act like the market will fix everything because we know from history that an unregulated market is evil incarnate.

  40. Yawn by drinkypoo · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Bawack Ubama Isn't godking anymore. That may come as a shock to California.

    California had its own emissions standards before Obama. That may come as a shock to racists looking for a way to pin all America's problems on him.

    --
    "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    1. Re:Yawn by drinkypoo · · Score: 4, Insightful

      California had its own emissions standards before Obama. That may come as a shock to racists looking for a way to pin all America's problems on him.

      Yes, because people aren't allowed to have differing policy opinions anymore. If you don't like something Obama did you're RAAAAAAAAACIST!!!!

      That's not what's happening here. What's happening is someone trying to pin something on Obama because Obama. And I can tell they're racist because their misspelling of his name in that particular way functions as a dog whistle.

      Seriously, is this the best you can do in a debate? Namecalling? No need to be correct or have facts on your side or anything like that.

      Seriously, the best you can do is ignore facts while shouting facts?

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    2. Re:Yawn by prisoner-of-enigma · · Score: 0

      That's not what's happening here. What's happening is someone trying to pin something on Obama because Obama. And I can tell they're racist because their misspelling of his name in that particular way functions as a dog whistle.

      Obviously your inerrant ability to spot racist "dog whistles" must be respected because reasons. You know all and see all and are fully qualified to be judge, jury, and executioner of labeling people you know next to nothing about...other than you don't like what they're saying.

      Seriously, the best you can do is ignore facts while shouting facts?

      And yet you are utterly unable to produce anything to contradict the facts put forth.

      --
      In the end they will lay their freedom at our feet and say to us, Make us your slaves, but feed us. - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
    3. Re:Yawn by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That's not what's happening here. What's happening is someone trying to pin something on Obama because Obama. And I can tell they're racist because their misspelling of his name in that particular way functions as a dog whistle.

      Funny, I've never seen anyone intentionally misspell his name before, though I have seen/heard some people refer to him as Barack Hussein Obama.

      Anyway, my opinion is that apart from increasing job numbers after the financial crisis, I disagree with most of the legacy of his presidency. At the very least, all of the bailouts should have been audited (though IMO there shouldn't have been any bailouts to begin with) and those responsible for the crisis should have been jailed as was done in Iceland. The Affordable Care Act turned out to be more expensive for the majority of people as it's effectively a government monopoly on insurance and almost nothing like socialized healthcare. Guantanamo is still business as normal. We overthrew more countries in the Arab world, and the way we (mostly) left Iraq... Jesus Christ. Leaving a power vacuum for ISIS to take over was a disaster exacerbated by our leaving warehouses full of weapons for them to use, which they obviously put to good use as they were immediately able to take control of oil wells and finance themselves to the tune of billions of dollars per year. Only now are they finally being eliminated, no thanks to our military which was mostly acting at ISIS's air support, which Trump is also guilty for, but to a far lesser degree than Obama.

    4. Re:Yawn by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      Anyway, my opinion is that apart from increasing job numbers after the financial crisis, I disagree with most of the legacy of his presidency.

      I agree with your analysis except where it comes to Obamacare. Democrats already tried to get single-payer health care going, and it became clear that was not going to happen. So instead they wound up passing a plan which had been drafted by Republicans some years earlier. I would prefer a real national health care system, instead of a health insurance system, but this was the best thing we could get at the time. Now Republicans are trying to dismantle it instead of improving it, but even their constituents are resisting them and this is actually a pretty good year for the ACA; several large players are moving to support more people under it, prices are actually falling in some markets, and fee increases are less than expected given what the Republicans have been doing to compromise it.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
  41. Re:Trump 2020 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    2020 lol, you think he's going to last that long

    Muller's going to take his ass out before the end of 2018

  42. Every time by Tsolias · · Score: 0

    I hear or read about california and emissions, smog, electric cars, clooney's speeches e.t.c, one and only one thing comes to my mind.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?...

  43. You are forgetting the engine by PackMan97 · · Score: 4, Interesting

    A 1998 basic civic got you 107 hp and 103 lb ft of torque. A 2018 basic civic gets you 158 hp and 138 lb ft of torque. The 2018 does push around a heavier can and the result of almost 50% better power and a slightly bigger and heavier car is the same fuel economy. For the most part we've made HUGE gains in fuel economy. We've just wasted them on more power and bigger cars.

    1. Re:You are forgetting the engine by HornWumpus · · Score: 1

      The weight is in rollover protection. The car is, more or less, the same size.

      More power is _never_ a waste.

      --
      John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
    2. Re:You are forgetting the engine by b0s0z0ku · · Score: 1

      More power requires everything else to be heavier (transmission, driveshafts, unibody) in order to take it. 300 hp in a family meh-dan or trucklet is very much a waste. Concentrate on handling if you want to go fast.

    3. Re:You are forgetting the engine by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      We've also made many cars far uglier, complicated, and more expensive.

      And modern bumpers are basically body panels.

    4. Re:You are forgetting the engine by thegarbz · · Score: 1

      The weight is in rollover protection.

      Horseshit. Your cars are huge. We can rollover protect ourselves just fine in Europe too with cars a fraction of your size and weight.

      More power is _never_ a waste.

      A statement which breaks the laws of physics.

    5. Re:You are forgetting the engine by mishehu · · Score: 1

      Modern bumpers are meant to absorb the impact. Old bumpers were literally bumpers, meaning that they returned at least part of the force of the impact. That's not good design as far as the humans are concerned. Thus the change.

    6. Re:You are forgetting the engine by toddestan · · Score: 1

      Most cars nowadays don't have bumpers in the way that people think about them. Yeah, I know they really have internal bumpers, but nothing you can visually see without peeking under the car. 20 years ago you got a piece of plastic that stuck out that would be the first thing that would come into contact without whatever you hit. Sure, it didn't provide much protection compared to the metal bumpers of previous decades, but it provided some protection for low speed collisions like in a parking lot. With today's cars, that is gone so if you hit anything at all you're going to smash a light or the grill.

      I figure it's just planned obsolesce. They know fixing that overstyled and overly fragile front end will be expensive. So once the car is a few years old and inevitably ends up in a minor accident, it's going to be much more likely to be totaled out and scrapped.

  44. Jetta by JBMcB · · Score: 1

    Volkswagen Jetta.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?...

    I had a tall friend who had problems getting one behind the driver's seat of his Accord. We had problems with a newer Chevy Malibu, though the older model was fine.

    --
    My Other Computer Is A Data General Nova III.
    1. Re:Jetta by Ichijo · · Score: 1

      Maybe I didn't have that problem because I put the rear facing seat on the passenger side.

      --
      Any sufficiently unpopular but cohesive argument is indistinguishable from trolling.
  45. Re:Trump 2020 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I bet you also still think digital watches are neat.

  46. It's the war on the environment stupid by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Every year the environment kills thousands of Americans. Floods, hurricanes, tornadoes!

    All without a response from from Obama! It's time to fight back like real Americans and take that environment out once and for all!

    End the death! End the madness!

  47. To get less emissions, go after the worst emitters by steveha · · Score: 2

    ...a 0.1% reduction in car emissions is much better for the total environment then if all emissions were eliminated from leaf blowers, lawn mowers, construction vehicles, etc.

    A slight bit of critical thinking would do you a world of good.

    A slight bit of researching the issue is also a great idea.

    Motor scooters with 2-stroke engines pollute about three orders of magnitude more than a modern gasoline car. There are enough of these scooters that in many cities they are now a worse problem than gasoline cars yet they remain barely regulated.

    Two-stroke scooters are a dominant source of air pollution in many cities

    Scooters: Europe's Pollution Machines

    If the scooters by themselves are enough to be a problem, it can only be worse if we add up all the 2-stroke engines of all sorts.

    I pretty much hate 2-stroke engines. I am in favor of allowing them where nothing else will do, like professional chain saws. But modern battery tech has gotten to a place where an electric scooter ought to be a practical replacement for a 2-stroke scooter and I'd like to see the 2-stroke scooters aggressively taxed or outright banned.

    Also, I am now very dubious about the value of additional restrictions on cars. If the goal is to maximize the net benefits to society, then it's better to take old clunkers off the road than to have the new cars pollute 0.1% less.

    It's literally true that one old clunker pollutes more than dozens of new cars. (A study found that the worst 25% of cars produce over 90% of pollution!) If you can get clunkers off the road, and their owners start driving anything even remotely modern, it's a huge win for air quality. Making new cars more expensive will only encourage people to keep their clunkers running as long as possible, so I am dubious about anything that makes new cars more expensive. Is it better for new cars to cost $3000 more each but pollute 0.1% less? Or is it better to leave the standards alone, let the car makers get their factories well set up to make cars to that standard, and let the costs of new cars gradually fall over time? My gut instinct says the latter is preferable.

    I first started thinking along these lines when I read this essay in 2009: https://keithhennessey.com/2009/05/19/understanding-the-presidents-cafe-announcement/

    On the other hand, if the government forces insane emissions standards, the only way to meet them will be electric cars. So companies like GM that make the minimum number of electric cars they can get away with will be forced to make more electric cars. So maybe it's better in the really long run?

    Just as I'd like to ban 2-stroke scooters I would like to see aggressive taxes on old clunkers that make them no-longer-affordable to run. However, I am well aware that the burden of those taxes would fall on the poorest people in our society. That's a problem. But it's also a problem that old horribly-polluting clunkers are exempted from emissions standards.

    P.S. I don't actually care if the Trump Administration wants to do the right thing for the wrong reasons. If it's the right thing I want to stand back and let it happen. IMHO, leaving standards where they are is the right thing.

    --
    lf(1): it's like ls(1) but sorts filenames by extension, tersely
  48. What is the cost benefit of this policy change? by WaffleMonster · · Score: 1

    What I don't understand the industry itself (Chrysler, Ford, GM, Honda and Hyundai) were at the table from the beginning on this. They agreed to and signed off on efficiency changes. What has changed since then other than oil prices currently being somewhat lower than originally expected?

    Is there specific objective evidence to support assertions current standards are unreasonable or would even raise rather than lower total ownership cost for consumers?

    Not that it much matters at this point... ICE vehicles will eventually be forced out of the market as trend line of energy storage costs continues to reinforce the inevitable.

    1. Re:What is the cost benefit of this policy change? by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      What I don't understand the industry itself (Chrysler, Ford, GM, Honda and Hyundai) were at the table from the beginning on this. They agreed to and signed off on efficiency changes. What has changed since then other than oil prices currently being somewhat lower than originally expected?

      Trump became president.

      The automakers are all on track with technologies and models that will let them meet the targets. They just don't want to, because they can make more money selling dirtier vehicles. Margins are higher on pickups and SUVs, not least because they are refreshed less often and that means the costs of design and tooling are spread across more vehicles.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
  49. Yes, I want us to prevent catastrophic warming by presidenteloco · · Score: 1

    -and the attendant mass species and eco-system losses,
    - ocean warming and acidification including complete loss of reef eco-systems and shellfish, global movement or loss of food fisheries, and proliferation of jellyfish and algae.
    -desertification of arable land areas,
    -removal of glaciers and irrigation and drinking water in highly populated areas,
    -coastal inundation,
    -resource scarcity wars and increased migration conflicts,
    -malaria and dengue in northern-hemisphere (formerly) temperate regions (i.e. where you live),

    and damn most of the consequences that are less important than those events.

    --

    Where are we going and why are we in a handbasket?
  50. If regulations made sense then limit pollutants ++ by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The problem is the regulations don't magically make for fewer pollutants and so vehicle manufacturers have to come up with tricks to legally stay within limits without actually staying within limits. While I'm not for government intervention it would probably make more sense for the government to invest money in non-profit research entities specifically tied to reducing the environmental impact of production of things and the output'd goods thereof. But the other thing that we have to remember is that we live in a world where all parties have to abide by the same set of standards in order to have a fair and free market. Companies in China have to comply with laws that companies in the US have to the extent that they sell here. However you don't want to overburden companies because then you have a problem of putting barriers up to the starting and operation of new and small companies (the companies most likely to have innovative impact).

    End of story: Minimize regulation while redirecting funds to environmental engineering research to maximize the cost benefit ratio without putting our most productive and innovative companies out of business.

  51. BUT BUT by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    States Rights! , !States Rights !

  52. IMPOSTER! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Your username most definitely does not check out. Do you even know what it means? You need all the power you can get to push around the dual 12" exhaust stacks sticking 6' above your giant unpainted aluminum spoiler.

  53. stupid GOP assholes by jsepeta · · Score: 1

    Innovation is important, because it's an area where American manufacturers can show leadership. Even if the US lowers fuel efficiency standards, the rest of the world won't Trump and his minions are complete dumbasses.

    --
    Remember kids, if you're not paying for the service, YOU ARE THE PRODUCT THAT IS BEING SOLD.
  54. Most buy pickups, SUV's anyway by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I think many standards set by Obama were excessive and has not benefited anything. People just bought bigger vehicles because they had bigger engines.
    Look at Ford, they have pretty much given up on cars. GM plans to dump a lot of sedans as well which are not selling. I think technology will run its own race to better fuel millage standards at a better more realistic pace that consumers will accept.

  55. MPG is a bad way to measure fuel economy by Solandri · · Score: 1

    The CAFE standards are set as MPG. But MPG is the inverse of fuel efficiency. As a result the bigger the MPG number gets, the smaller the reduction in fuel consumption. Imagine you drive a car 100 miles. How much fuel will it use?

    12.5 MPG large SUV = 8 gallons
    25 MPG sedan = 4 gallons
    50 MPG hybrid = 2 gallons
    100 MPG super-car = 1 gallon

    Notice how every time MPG doubles, the fuel savings is half that of the previous doubling? So even though going from a sedan to a hybrid is an "impressive" +25 MPG increase, the fuel savings is only 2 gallons. Meanwhile, switching from a large SUV to a sedan yields only a +12.5 MPG increase (apparently half that of going from the sedan to the hybrid), but it saves twice as much fuel - 4 gallons. That's because MPG is the inverse of fuel efficiency. The bigger MPG gets, the less of an improvement makes. It's why the rest of the world measures it in liters per 100 km (which is an inverse of MPG).

    Put another way, MPG is the number you want to use if you have x gallons of gas, and want to know how far you want to drive with it. Nobody except race car drivers drives this way. The inverse of MPG, gallons per 100 miles, is the number you want if you need to drive x miles, and want to know how much fuel it'll take. That's how everyone drives.

    You can't even average MPG easily. If you drive a 20 MPG vehicle and your spouse drives a 40 MPG vehicle, and each of you drives 100 miles in a week, your average is not 30 MPG. It's the harmonic mean, or 26.7 MPG. You only get a 30 MPG average if each car uses the same number of gallons in a week, not drives the same distance.

    What this means for CAFE and fuel efficiency standards is that we shouldn't be concentrating on high-MPG vehicles like hybrids, or even the average MPG like CAFE does. To maximize the reduction in fuel consumption, our fuel efficiency standards should be set to raise the minimum MPG - that's where the most fuel is used and wasted. e.g. Increasing a tractor trailer's fuel efficiency from 6 MPG to 7 MPG saves as much fuel per mile as switching from a 23 MPG sedan to a 50 MPG hybrid. Yes, that +1 MPG improvement is the same as the +27 MPG improvement (slightly more actually). Factor in that long-haul truckers typically drive about 100k-110k miles/yr, vs 15k miles/yr for the typical commuter car, and improving that one truck's mileage by +1 MPG is equivalent to getting 7 people to switch from an old sedan to a hybrid. Raising the low-MPG end makes a helluva lot more difference than increasing the high-MPG end. The environmentalists scoffed when automakers put hybrid drivetrains in SUVs, but that's precisely where they can generate the biggest reduction in fuel consumption.

    1. Re:MPG is a bad way to measure fuel economy by b0s0z0ku · · Score: 1

      A hybrid large SUV will increase from 12.5 mpg (8 gal) to 20 mpg (5 gal). That's 3 gal of fuel saved.

      Meanwhile, replacing it with a hybrid station wagon that does 50 mpg (2 gal) will save ANOTHER 3 gal for the 100 miles traveled. The idea should ALSO be to encourage people who don't tow or work construction to switch from SUV mastodons to hybrid CARS.

    2. Re:MPG is a bad way to measure fuel economy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The CAFE standards are set as MPG. But MPG is the inverse of fuel efficiency. As a result the bigger the MPG number gets, the smaller the reduction in fuel consumption. It's why the rest of the world measures it in liters per 100 km (which is an inverse of MPG).

      This is provides the same exact information as MPG only expressed in different terms. MPG is something everyone understands. Gallons per some arbitrary distance is much less obvious or useful metric to real people.

      If I am considering what vehicle I want to purchase then considering fuel cost implications in terms of miles per gallon is the more convenient metric. This inverse bullshit is irrelevant.

      What this means for CAFE and fuel efficiency standards is that we shouldn't be concentrating on high-MPG vehicles like hybrids, or even the average MPG like CAFE does. To maximize the reduction in fuel consumption, our fuel efficiency standards should be set to raise the minimum MPG - that's where the most fuel is used and wasted. e.g. Increasing a tractor trailer's fuel efficiency from 6 MPG to 7 MPG saves as much fuel per mile as switching from a 23 MPG sedan to a 50 MPG hybrid.

      If the goal is maximizing savings in the aggregate then distribution of miles driven by vehicle type is a critical consideration. Simply focusing on low end by itself is shortsighted and suboptimal.

      Additionally failure to account for second order consequences of imposing standards such as tendency of steering people to other vehicle types in order to circumvent standards is also shortsighted and suboptimal.

    3. Re:MPG is a bad way to measure fuel economy by Obfuscant · · Score: 1

      But MPG is the inverse of fuel efficiency.

      Yes, of course, MILES per GALLON is the inverse of GALLONS per MILE. You pass high school algebra.

      Where you fail is in thinking that tone way of reporting the number is right and the other is wrong.

      Nobody except race car drivers drives this way.

      You are quite wrong. Seriously. I know I have a 15 gallon tank. I have a trip odometer. I routinely monitor the odometer to track when I really need to fill up, and I cross check the pump input against that odometer to see what the MPG I'm getting is. I don't care how many "gallons per mile" I'm using, I want to know how many more miles I have before I need to stop for gas.

      You can't even average MPG easily.

      Don't be silly. It is just as easy to divide how many miles you drove since the last fillup by the number of gallons it took to fill up as to divide the gallons by the miles. That's how you calculate the average MPG (or GPM if you so desire).

      If you drive a 20 MPG vehicle and your spouse drives a 40 MPG vehicle,

      Averaging those two numbers is a meaningless exercise.

  56. Re: Because it hurts our economy. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Reddit. Where people defend pedophiles on the front page.

  57. Re:To get less emissions, go after the worst emitt by drew_kime · · Score: 2

    Or is it better to leave the standards alone, let the car makers get their factories well set up to make cars to that standard, and let the costs of new cars gradually fall over time?

    Just like CD prices came down after all the music companies recouped the cost of switching from making cassettes?

    --
    Nope, no sig
  58. Doubled down!! Re:Hypocrites by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    As usual, you're a hypocrite. You wanna bitch about tribal affiliations? If you took the time to read what was typed instead of pulling one of your default tribal talking points, you would notice that you are arguing with an imaginary being.

    Trump, his Republican cronies, and their voters, are such a collection of hypocrites.

    Go ahead and show where Cohiba claimed Trump was a Republican. Go ahead and quote the part I know you want to and prove to the rest of us that you do not know how commas and lists work.

    For decades, all Republicans do is bleat "STATES' RIGHTS!" - But when those states actually exercise those rights (emissions / drug policy / guns) the Republicans do everything in their power to stomp all over them.

    Now go ahead and quote me the part where Cohiba is talking about trump. I'm not waiting. It's not the point. The point is, you picked a stupid ass argument to make which has nothing to do with what the fuck we are talking about.
    L2Debate n00b

  59. Re:To get less emissions, go after the worst emitt by steveha · · Score: 2

    Just like CD prices came down after all the music companies recouped the cost of switching from making cassettes?

    Why CDs are expensive Hint: the cost of the actual CD technology always was a small fraction of the record company costs.

    Also, cars are not the same as CDs. Honda, Nissan, and Ford might all be selling a similar car at a similar price; but if you want the latest music by $ARTIST you don't have a choice of multiple companies selling that music. Only if music consumers said "I'm not loyal to $ARTIST but rather to $GENRE" and shopped on price would the two be comparable. I don't even pay attention to what company makes the CDs of my favorite artists; I buy the specific music I like.

    There are some people who are very brand loyal and will buy a particular car brand no matter what, but those are IMHO few when we are talking about the low end of the car market. (It's different with prestige brands like BMW, Mercedes, etc.)

    The cost of computers has come down over the years, and cars are more like computers than they are like CDs in terms of competition based on price.

    --
    lf(1): it's like ls(1) but sorts filenames by extension, tersely
  60. A chance for auto companies to shine by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Can you imagine the great public relations a company would get if they kept (or improved) their emissions and used that as an advertising point?

    "Our cars are better because we care about the environment our children will live" as opposed to previously been forced to be good.

    --XYZZY--

  61. Why not both? by rsilvergun · · Score: 3, Insightful

    the huge spike in car costs is largely down to expensive new safety features. Cars don't kill you when they get in a fender bender like the Tsuru did in Mexico. Fuel economy improvements largely paid for themselves on a month to month basis, especially when you take into account that most people have a car loan. Not sure about you, but I factor the cost of gas into my overall car & driver budget.

    --
    Hi! I make Firefox Plug-ins. Check 'em out @ https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/youtube-mp3-podcaster/
  62. State's Rights? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Last time I checked, most of the car sales in CA were interstate transactions, which the states don't have a right to regulate. In fact, it's well understood through law and judicial precedent that driving is an inherently interstate activity. Sure, California could regulate Teslas, as they're built in Freemont, but I'm pretty confident that the rest of them are build in places like Tennessee and Michigan.

    1. Re:State's Rights? by K.+S.+Kyosuke · · Score: 1

      Putting aside your perennial American interstate commerce circlejerk, why is driving *within* California "an interstate activity", too?

      --
      Ezekiel 23:20
    2. Re:State's Rights? by currently_awake · · Score: 1

      If growing plants for personal consumption in your garden is "Interstate Commerce" then you can apply that label to anything. I believe the excuse used is "your (local) activities affect demand in other states".

    3. Re:State's Rights? by stooo · · Score: 1

      >> why is driving *within* California "an interstate activity", too?
      Because we all globally inhale the particles and shit exhausted by those cars.
      Because we all globally get the pollution generated from building, recycling, and fueling those cars.

      --
      aaaaaaa
  63. USA is reducing emissions, Asia increasing by huckamania · · Score: 1

    So, when will Xi Jinping and Ram Kovind be making an appearance? Oh, this is about your feels and not facts.

    Carry on.

  64. California can raise MPGs by boosting gas taxes. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Just boost gas taxes to make fuel costs like Europe. Levels around $8/gal and the market would select vehicles with greater MPG's.

    There would be no federal involvement at all. Car makes could sell whatever they want. That's a win-win, right? Oh wait I forgot about the part where the lawmakers get voted out of office.

  65. More crate engines, more flexible standards.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    For upgrading older vehicles.

    While it won't improve the aerodynamics of low efficiency vehicles, allowing newer, cleaner, and higher performance engines in them without the often baroque requirements of current upgrade requirements (like transferring a certified lower emission fuel tank/nozzle to a physically incompatible vehicle) would go a long way towards improving the emissions of vehicles on the road. Every vehicle from the past 70 years is open for an upgrade, and basically ever vehicle from the 80s would benefit from one simply due to the amount of semi-effective emission hardware on them that can make their pollution much worse when they fail and are difficult or impossible to find and calibrate replacement parts for.

    Do that and we can continue having nice things in a variety of aesthetic configurations for decades to come. But that doesn't help drive increases in the car manufacturing economy so why would they help the common folk by doing that?

  66. Carbon fee and dividend by presidenteloco · · Score: 1

    Charge a carbon fee on fossil fuel, and give it all back to all California residents as a dividend.

    Initially, set the fee so that a person who drives an efficient small to mid-size vehicle a median number of miles per year breaks even.
    If they drive a more efficient or smaller ICE vehicle or drive less, they are slightly ahead financially.
    If they drive an EV they are way ahead financially, at least on the fuel cost side, enough that they can afford the EV.

    --

    Where are we going and why are we in a handbasket?
  67. Re:To get less emissions, go after the worst emitt by drew_kime · · Score: 1

    The cost of computers has come down over the years, and cars are more like computers than they are like CDs in terms of competition based on price.

    Then why is the cost of cars going up so much?

    --
    Nope, no sig
  68. Manufacturers will make dirtier cars now... by ClarkMills · · Score: 1

    ...so that the reduction will be easy when 2020 ticks over.

    It's already happening in Europe:

  69. Ford needs to sell Cars people want to buy... by Grog6 · · Score: 1

    Not everyone who wants a Coupe will drive a Mustang.

    I will not drive an SUV or Truck, so I drive older Cars.

    --
    Truth isn't Truth - Guliani
  70. Re:To get less emissions, go after the worst emitt by steveha · · Score: 2
    --
    lf(1): it's like ls(1) but sorts filenames by extension, tersely
  71. We should let the states decide... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ...unless it's something we don't like.

  72. New cars DO cost more. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    If I want to buy a new car, I'm looking at $15K minimum. If I want to maintain my current paid off car, it's about $1000 annually, max.

    I think I'll keep that $14k...

  73. So, batteries... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Like theyâ(TM)re completely clean, arenâ(TM)t chewing vast amounts of natural resources and are fun to refurbish and/or dispose of.

  74. Duh by MikeHibbett · · Score: 1

    Americans, on the whole, are idiots. The rest of the developed world are laughing at you.

    1. Re:Duh by TheDarkener · · Score: 1

      You're an ignorant fool for globbing an entire nation's people into one stereotype.

      --
      It is pitch black. You are likely to be eaten by a grue.
    2. Re:Duh by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      Americans, on the whole, are idiots. The rest of the developed world are laughing at you.

      Unfortunately, this argument falls on idiotic ears. Trumpanzees overwhelmingly respond "so what about the rest of the world" because they don't comprehend that we have a global economy and ignoring the rest of the world will harm America. But then, they couldn't even comprehend that Trump was a richie rich prick who would only jerk off other richie rich pricks; how can one expect them to comprehend economics?

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
  75. So first of all.... by erp_consultant · · Score: 1

    the article says "rolls back". It doesn't roll anything back. It freezes it at 2020 levels for up to 6 years.

    I'm all for lower emissions but the fact of the matter is that it adds costs to the cars. At the same time automakers are adding every gadget under the sun. That adds weight to the car, forcing them to add more power to the engines to provide at least comparable performance to last years model. The other option is to try and trim weight by using aluminum or other light weight materials and that adds cost.

    Everyone is using turbo charged engines now. Even in trucks that traditionally had V8s. While the turbos provide better gas mileage they are not as durable as the tried and true V8 engines. Time will tell how well they hold up but I have my doubts.

    What I would like to see are some cars without all the useless gadgets. I don't want a touch screen. It is distracting. And given that nearly everything is controlled by the touch screen, God help you if it stops working. It's not like the old days where, say, your tachometer stopped working. The rest of the gauges would work and you could fix it - cheaply - at your leisure. Over the next 5-6 years you're going to see a lot of these touch screens start to fail and it won't be like putting in a new iPad. These things will cost thousands to replace. My guess would be $6000 and up for the fancier ones. Same thing with the 10 speed transmissions. When those things start to fail it might cost more than the car is worth at that point to replace it.

    All in the name of good gas mileage. A noble cause but we are creating a generation of un-repairable cars. We are fixing one problem only to create another.

    1. Re:So first of all.... by TheDarkener · · Score: 1

      "I'm all for lower emissions but the fact of the matter is that it adds costs to the cars."

      Heaven forbid automakers spend a bit more money to help save life on this fucking planet!

      --
      It is pitch black. You are likely to be eaten by a grue.
    2. Re:So first of all.... by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      the article says "rolls back". It doesn't roll anything back. It freezes it at 2020 levels for up to 6 years.

      It rolls back the law which mandates the standard. The law is a thing, although it is not stuff. (Stuff has mass, and takes up space.)

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
  76. FAKE says right in the quote FREEZE not ROLLBACK. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ditto datto doodle

  77. "new proposed rule that would freeze"... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    One post was already deleted for pointing out that the title on slashdot isn't even what the article they are quoting. It says freeze, not rollback.

    That is propaganda. And deleting my post for pointing out the fact really nails the intentional dishonesty.

  78. Stop being so gullible, progressives! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Try actually READING and THINKING.

    NOBODY is "rolling back" any standards.

    Obama proposed a bunch of NEW standards that were scheduled to kick-in in 2025 before he left office. These standards have NEVER been implemented and certainly were never in place while Obama was in office. The Trump admin is proposing not transitioning to those new standards, meaning: the standards will be as least as high as during the entire 8 years of Obama.

    I swear, there is some sort of stupidity drug injected into college kids these days that makes them fall lemming-like for every bit of toxic leftist propaganda that is spoon fed to them.

    You were born with a brain. Try doing something apparently more rare with every year: THINK.

  79. De Facto and no states rights bullshit by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Literally this. "California is isn't dictating laws to any other states" Nope. They are just such a huge portion of the car market that designing all the cars *not to that standard* loses money. Not dictating. All the MFGs can eat a shit sandwich for their CA sales, or lose it all. And if it is a States Rights issue give all 50 states the right, not just CA. See what happens when it is a *50* states right.

    1. Re:De Facto and no states rights bullshit by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      And if it is a States Rights issue give all 50 states the right, not just CA.

      California got the right to set its own emissions standards to begin with because a) California provably needed stronger standards to combat pollution and b) California set stricter standards than the Federal government, so it clearly wasn't trying to pull a fast one and simply enable more pollution. There's no basis for giving the right to states that will use it to bypass federal emissions regulations.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
  80. You have a very selective brain by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    SUVs were sold because of tax breaks for utility vehicles ostensibly to save businesses money. NOT because of fuel efficiency standards, you fucking moron.

  81. And if rally cars have to be electric? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Well you' be driving your 300hp electric all wheel drive electric rally car for 2 road rallies.

    1. Re:And if rally cars have to be electric? by rally2xs · · Score: 1

      If only... Electricity would really knock down the fuel costs, and other things like oil changes and timing belt changes and spark plug changes ($400 for a Subaru WRX) so bring on the electrics, the sooner the better.

  82. Nope. EVs are muuuch better. by stooo · · Score: 3, Informative

    >> It was years ago and the data might be obsolete but i suspect that now it is even worse.

    Nope .
    Average efficiency of a gasoline car is 15% small-tank-to-wheel
    Average efficiency of a fossil powered electricity plant feeding EVs through the grid is 35%, big-tank-to-wheel
    You burn over two times less fossil fuel by going 100% fossil electricity.

    Germany today has 48% of fossil electricity. This figure decreases yearly.

    So your typical EV in Germany is responsible today for only 20% of the emissions of the same gasoline powered car.

    --
    aaaaaaa
    1. Re:Nope. EVs are muuuch better. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You burn less than half as much fossil fuel by going 100% fossil electricity.

      Fixed it for you.

  83. Trump's main complaint about cars... by thegarbz · · Score: 1

    ... was the number of European models he sees driving around. He thinks that cars should be all American all the time. I wonder how giving US companies a free pass to not innovate and produce shittier models than the rest of the world fits in with that world view.

  84. Imaginary worth. In dollars that devalue. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    All apple has hit, is a bunch if cokehead gambling addicts *believing* it is worth that much ... ... in dollars... which have massively fallen in terms of real-world buying value. So how much actual real things like food, houses etc you can buy with them. (And so have the Euro etc, by the way.)

    This is how you get "richer" when you already have the maximum amount of money. You lowet people's income by lowering the worth of the money they get. While raising your own amount of money.

    Apple still ain't worth a dime in the real world, outside of *belief*. Because when it about advancing humanity or making, feeding and raising your children, the most important stuff you need, isn't exactly shiny jewelry. Even if made with electronics inside.

  85. Huh by WindBourne · · Score: 1

    So many on.this site claim that only ppl can make the changes to lower co2, and it has nothing to do with business or gov. If that is believed and/or true, than the far lefties should not care about this. Otherwise, it means that emissions per capita is worthless, since ppl do not control this.

    --
    I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
    1. Re:Huh by TheDarkener · · Score: 1

      Business and government *are* people.

      --
      It is pitch black. You are likely to be eaten by a grue.
    2. Re:Huh by WindBourne · · Score: 1

      We have laws passed that removes all forms of responsibility for those in charge of businesses or gov. In fact, nearly all nations do this.
      As such, we have created entities that have no sense of morals, compassion, etc. These are NOT people. These are legal entities with no real bounds, which is why they do not cut CO2 emissions/pollution until it threatens the business/gov themselves.

      --
      I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
    3. Re: Huh by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      So it's not people,not business and not government.

      So it's magic then?

      What makes Americans so polluting then?

    4. Re:Huh by TheDarkener · · Score: 1

      I had the feeling you'd reply with the legality of corporations/govt/etc.. to which I respond:

      That's a cop-out by the people to hide behind their own greed.

      --
      It is pitch black. You are likely to be eaten by a grue.
    5. Re: Huh by WindBourne · · Score: 1

      Quite the opposite. I'm pointing out that we have created amoral institutions that rule over us. For them, greed is everything. Think about it. How many car makers would make EVs if Tesla was not eating their lunch? The answer is none of them. It is only because of a rich dedicated man that wants to improve the world, that this is happening. Chinese gov pushes EVs, but not because they are concerned about pollution or co2. They push them as a means to quit importing oil. In addition, they hope to dominate the vehicle industry. We need to push gov and businesses.

      --
      I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
    6. Re: Huh by TheDarkener · · Score: 1

      These "institutions" are nothing more than a facade. Corporations and governments do not exist without the people who run them. It is the people who make the day-to-day decisions. Greedy people hide behind the legal shelter that corporations provide to make decisions solely based on monetary gain.

      Please note that I agree with what you're saying, but it is ethically wrong for anyone to say that people aren't doing the damage, and that corporations are.

      --
      It is pitch black. You are likely to be eaten by a grue.
    7. Re: Huh by WindBourne · · Score: 1

      The ppl ARE causing it but only because there are no legal ramifications for their actions. As such, they are basically amoral entities.
      WRT climate change and the co2 emissions, we need to quit pretending that it is about regular ppl making choices. It is about the ppl in the businesses and gov that are making these choices and causing great harm.

      --
      I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
    8. Re: Huh by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's interesting to think about. I mean, in very general terms and imho capitalism works well as a nation-builder. I just think many nations have "outgrown" that status and a remix/blend of this and other, more social, humanitarian, environmental, etc. based economic systems need to come into play. The roots of the constitutions must continue to be at the centerpoint of whatever the current situation is as they are the primary foundation of everything else. It seems as these amoral entities could be what keeps people from feeling responsible for their actions. I really like the idea of Social Purpose Corporations (SPC), they allow you to focus on goals as an entity that aren't strictly for max profits. So basically you can't get sued by a shareholder if you're fulfilling your "social purpose" outlined in your bylaws. Almost a non-profit but still a corporation. I think this kind of thinking will help more moral people build companies to compete.

    9. Re: Huh by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Nearly all nations do this? So explain why America is twice as bad as most nations?

      The government cares less?

      The businesses care less?

      The people care less?

      Please explain.

    10. Re: Huh by CaffeinatedBacon · · Score: 1

      Lucky the EU government and the Chinese government have our backs. How do we regime change the US to become one of these better governments also? Do we need more Russian help?

    11. Re: Huh by WindBourne · · Score: 1

      considering that you are Chinese and not american, it is not your back they have. Your gov will put a bullet there.

      --
      I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
    12. Re: Huh by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The EU and China have the interests of the whole planet to consider. And they are doing twice as good a job of looking after it than America is.

      That you selfishly only consider narrow American interests is obvious from you constant trolling and lies.

    13. Re: Huh by CaffeinatedBacon · · Score: 1

      You are yet to give a reason why American people, businesses and governments are so much worse than everyone else? You can't just throw up your hands and say there is no reason.

    14. Re: Huh by CaffeinatedBacon · · Score: 1

      All nations do it, America is just twice as bad for some reason is it?

    15. Re: Huh by CaffeinatedBacon · · Score: 1

      Isn't everyone who disagrees with you a Russian troll?

    16. Re: Huh by WindBourne · · Score: 1

      Yeah, your nation is really worried about the planet.
      https://www.nytimes.com/2017/0...
      https://www.cnbc.com/amp/2018/...

      --
      I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
    17. Re: Huh by CaffeinatedBacon · · Score: 1

      All that and still less than half the CO2 as an American.

      You must be so proud of your nation.

      And you still haven't figured out my nation yet.

    18. Re: Huh by CaffeinatedBacon · · Score: 1

      Considering I'm not in China or America. There is infinitely more chance of America shooting me in the back than China.

      For the same reason, the local environment in either place doesn't concern me much. But American people polluting much more affects the whole world and hence me and my country more than Chinese people do.

      Ignorant people like you, who refuse to understand the truth,are the biggest problem.

    19. Re: Huh by WindBourne · · Score: 1

      You are a Chinese that is paid to lie and troll. Nobody in the west is going to believe that CHina is NOT communist.
      And only somebody paid to work for the CHinese gov would lie as often as you do esp on something like this.

      --
      I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
    20. Re: Huh by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Lol Windy, what's the American version of Chinglish? Or do you all speak like that?

    21. Re: Huh by CaffeinatedBacon · · Score: 1

      Was that meant to show a lie? That I'm Chinese? Or that I'm paid? Because it doesn't do any of those things.

      I only ask because it looks to me like a 100% accurate prediction of you being a Fox watching idiot,that you helpfully confirmed in your very next post.

      Here's a tip, if you want to call people liars, do what I do to you and show some of your obvious lies.
      Don't link to an educated guess, that you then admit was true, and claim it's a lie. Just makes you look deceitful and foolish.

      Only Fox viewers like yourself think China is Communist. You probably also think North Korea is a democracy.

    22. Re: Huh by WindBourne · · Score: 1

      Only a paid Chinese trolls would claim that China is not communist. If they are not communist, then show us in their constitution where it allows non-communist ppl to run for office. Likewise show us where you have freedom of speech to speak out against your gov.
      And since I do not believe any of your lies about China, why would you suggest a nation that is just as communist as your nation, is democratic?

      --
      I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
    23. Re: Huh by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yes China is communist for the same reason North Korea is a democracy.

      Next you will be telling us The US is United behind Trump.

      Having a word in you name doesn't make you that thing. Or were you really born in the wind?

  86. Because fuck this shared planet, right? by TheDarkener · · Score: 1

    I simply don't understand - we all live on this planet together. How can people be so short-sighted? How can they think of money before the environment? There's a place for profit in pouring less carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. It makes me sick to think we're all going to die without having at least *tried* to reverse the next mass extinction event, just because the automobile industry is too fucking lazy to step up and change the way they do things. It's not all about money. We're already fucked at this point (look at co2.earth ), I'm afraid. We've all been trying to play god for way too long now. I just don't get how people can reject the science and think that it's "us vs. them" capitalist mentality bullshit though. I mean, c'mon. Go Bronco's, I guess. Fuck.

    --
    It is pitch black. You are likely to be eaten by a grue.
  87. Still not buying from American manufactures by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    After working with Chrysler and GM I'll never buy their garbage. To add to that, I want economical and reliable vehicles; you can't get that from Ford, GM, or FAC.

    I will always buy Japanese until the day comes that their cars become unreliable or gas guzzling garbage.

  88. Re:To get less emissions, go after the worst emitt by admiralh · · Score: 1

    I don't disagree with you. I'm all about reducing total emissions the most economically.

    But note that the OP did not mention scooters, which are obviously a larger problem.

    And remember the conservative freak-out over the Obama-era "Cash for Clunkers" program, because of the idea that undeserving people (a.k.a. melanin-enhanced minorities) might be getting a benefits from a government program?

    --
    Hopelessly pedantic since 1963.
  89. You Shut Up! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You shut up! Coal-powered cars are coming "real soon now" and Big Giant Head knows it!

    How does he know it? He "feels" it, just like he "feels" pussy, "feels" like a Space Force, and "feels" that the Mexicans will pay for his wall.

    If you feel anything enough it will happen. Everyone knows this!

    1. Re:You Shut Up! by Rick+Schumann · · Score: 1

      STFU, your low-quality sarcasm isn't helping.

  90. One other thing by presidenteloco · · Score: 1

    The people who are willing to throw out civilization are those who are fighting against the actions needed to prevent large and destablilizing changes to the climate and the biosphere. Those who are attempting to course-correct to limit the rapidity, level, and damages of the rapid-warming climate change are those who are attempting to safeguard civilization, and more broadly, Earth's eco-systems and suitable environment for sustaining current species., including humans.

    --

    Where are we going and why are we in a handbasket?
  91. Good by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    My 2000 Jetta TDI got 65 miles per gallon. I canâ(TM)t even get that nowadays unless Iâ(TM)m driving a peanut shell on wheels. And donâ(TM)t give me that parts per million shit unless you examine the denominator

  92. Re:To get less emissions, go after the worst emitt by steveha · · Score: 1

    And remember the conservative freak-out over the Obama-era "Cash for Clunkers" program, because of the idea that undeserving people (a.k.a. melanin-enhanced minorities) might be getting a benefits from a government program?

    Actually, I don't remember that. I do remember people freaking out over how stupidly the Cash for Clunkers program was designed, where it didn't just take actual clunkers off the road but also newer cars that weren't so bad, and the program funding that was supposed to last a year only lasted about a month (lots of "duh, what did you expect" comments from non-Democrats).

    I'm sure there must have been some racists somewhere who thought what you said, but I never saw or heard or read anything about it at the time, so I doubt it was widespread at all. If you have some YouTube videos or web page essays or something that document this alleged widespread racist conservative backlash against Cash for Clunkers, please share the URLs.

    --
    lf(1): it's like ls(1) but sorts filenames by extension, tersely
  93. Where's the freedom? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I should be able to buy and drive whatever I want to and can afford - US pollution is a drop in the bucket compared to China and India.

  94. So? by BitztreamNotARealNam · · Score: 1, Informative

    How's life in the hypocrite lane?

  95. Re:To get less emissions, go after the worst emitt by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

    Just as I'd like to ban 2-stroke scooters I would like to see aggressive taxes on old clunkers that make them no-longer-affordable to run.

    Old clunkers tend to fall off the road rapidly, and most of the car guys who are allergic to fuel injection are dead now so we're seeing lots of old clunkers with relatively modern LS engines and the like swapped into them. They are really not a problem like 2-strokes are. Nobody is making more old clunkers and most of the guys refurbishing them now are putting injection on them one way or another.

    --
    "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
  96. Re:To get less emissions, go after the worst emitt by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

    I do remember people freaking out over how stupidly the Cash for Clunkers program was designed, where it didn't just take actual clunkers off the road but also newer cars that weren't so bad,

    If you look at the statistics, the majority of clunker'd cars were in fact gas guzzlers. Sure, it caught up other cars too, but it still did what it said it was supposed to do on the tin. Some other approach might have been preferable, but cash for clunkers was legally feasible, so it actually happened. A big problem in government is that people on both sides of the aisle will only vote for stuff which produces revenue, and cash for clunkers passed that test.

    --
    "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
  97. Usual accusations and idiocy from Windy by CaffeinatedBacon · · Score: 1

    Obviously a paid Chinese troll would be a member of the communist party, and would be telling you how great the communists were. Certainly not denying communists even exist.

    Common sense or truth are rarely a requirement for a Windy post though.

    What lies would you need to believe?
    You have still never shown even one, about any topic.

  98. Re:To get less emissions, go after the worst emitt by steveha · · Score: 1

    Nobody is making more old clunkers and most of the guys refurbishing them now are putting injection on them one way or another.

    Basically what I would like to see is for the worst-polluting cars to be punished with taxes or fines or something. If someone can fix the car to make it stop polluting so badly, they can keep driving the car. it's not that I hate old cars, I just hate pollution.

    Right now it's very economical to drive a clunker: if you fail the smog test, you only have to spend something like $50 to fix the failure. (At least that's how it works where I live.) I get that this is a kindness to people who don't have much money, but it also means there is little incentive to fix a car that pollutes a whole lot. I just want the financial incentives to force horrible cars to be fixed or scrapped.

    --
    lf(1): it's like ls(1) but sorts filenames by extension, tersely