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American consumers need to demand better fuel mileage in lieu of more powerful vehicles.
Every time I turn on the TV there is an ad for a “bigger, more powerful” version of last year’s model car, truck, or SUV. Even Honda, who proudly touts itself as the world’s most fuel efficient automaker, is in on the act with their new Accord commercials. In these troubled times of global warming, high energy prices, and mounting debt, Americans’ still demand ever increasing power and automakers are more than happy to please.
14 years ago when I was a senior in high school my 1984 Buick Skyhawk averaged just over 28mpg @ 90 horsepower with a 2.0 liter engine. Today I drive a similar sized car with a similar sized engine that cranks out 160 horsepower and averages only 26mpg. I know that the performance wasn’t lacking in my older car, it would go WAY past the posted speed limits. A 275hp engine in an SUV has practically no benefit over one with a 175hp engine yet it loses over 4mpg. What is going on here?
Author Paul Roberts explains it best in his book “The End of Oil”. He refers to this phenomenon as the “efficiency dividend”. Automakers are always tweaking their technology to get the most energy out of a single gallon of gas. Every time they improve the efficiency of their engines they are faced with a decision. Should we keep the gas mileage the same and increase the cars power output, or should we keep the power output the same and increase the cars miles per gallon? The answer is quite simple: The automakers will do whatever sells the most cars. We have the technology for better mileage; we just don’t have the heart.
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
gas sucks….. Ride a bike
lol
Ben–Congratulations! Tight, articulate and readable information.
I’ve been advising for over 40 years and at age 30 I wasn’t nearly as effective a communicator even though I am a Leo. Say hello to your sister–Don