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Saturday, Nov 7, 2009
on if Toyota got that horsepower by allowing the engine to burn more fuel or by using more of the available energy in the same amount of fuel. Yes, modern engines may have larger valves and are typically larger in displacement than the engines they have replaced. But the biggest difference in the last 15 years has been computerized engine management systems that hold the combustion process right on the edge of premature detonation at all times and constantly optimizing the air/fuel ratio, extracting more BTU from the fuel and making the engine much more efficient.
One of the biggest roadblocks to fuel efficiency is constantly tightening emissions regulations. Modern cars are incredibly clean - you'd run out of gas before successfully asphyxiating yourself with your new Camry. The point of diminishing returns has long since past as far as making new cars cleaner is concerned, and modern cars actually remove some pollutants from the atmosphere. But the goverment is still focusing on private car emmisions almost exclusively when the low hanging fruit is factories, powerplants, and large trucks and busses.
Alowing industry to clean up those areas (at greatly reduced cost) would allow for the use of lighter weight materials without sacrificing safety, which would have a huge impact on fuel efficiency. The 1984 Volkswagen GTI I used to own weighed 1600 pounds. A new GTI weighs roughly twice that. So now the same gallon of gas has to move what amounts to 2 cars instead of 1 - not very efficient, but the fuel efficiency hasn't changed proportionally because of inreased combustion efficiency. A brand new GTI that weighed only 2500 pounds would likely get over 35MPG city, if VW was allowed to build it.
Last, the most effective and efficient method for reducing greenhouse gasses and increasing fleet fuel economy would be to simply offer every American $10,000 for any car built before 1997, and then recycle those cars to build new ones. More cost effective than anything we are doing now or have planned for the future, more effective in terms of overall results, great for our struggling car industry and its workers and our economy.
You better be prepared to unwind the clock about a hundred years if gasoline costs $10/gal. Because the simple act of making it too painful to bear will not really solve anything. Unless you believe that making pot illegal solves the pot problem too. Making a NEED regressively expensive will not temper the use of that NEED but for the poorest people. And I really don't see my city not hiring cops because they can't afford fuel for the cars. I do see the cops going on ticket writing and 'law enforcement' rampages to pay for it though. Meanwhile my Dentist barely notices the price of gas. His CLK 55 Benz gets 14mpg or less and so what?
20% of the oil in this country is used in the production and processing and transport of food. You might also want to dial back on all plastic and most pharmaceuticals. And forget about paving the streets. And tires on the cars on those streets.
I've suggested innumerable times the use of scooters and rickshaws for urban/suburban use. Turns out Americans hate that. I know if gas goes to $7/gal I'll get another 150cc urban scooter and keep the cars parked unless absolutely necessary. And I don't commute either. Lucky for me.
Turns out when you make toll roads to change the way people drive there are always people who are perfectly willing to pay any toll if it will save them time as they tool along one in a vehicle.
What is missed in the article is the incestuous relationship between the automobile industry and the oil industry in this country. The American oil industry is the main force lobbying for lower mileage (for obvious reasons). A good book to read to get an understanding of this is: Internal Combustion by Edwin Black.
Consider that the Western EU and Japan have cars that meet or almost meet the CAFÉ standards. The biggest reason for this is they are not oil producing nations so they do not have a powerful, national oil lobby opposing high gas mileage.
The oil industry in this country will not allow the large production of such things as electric cars (see: Death of the Electric Car) or high mileage gas driven vehicles. That is not until the industry is in its death throes, which unfortunately may be our death throes as well. Greed was defined as a deadly sin because people are too ignorant and defensive to know such a thing themselves. It is defined that way because it destroys others, not just the perpetrator
I've had a 2007 prius for the last 8 months now, and I think it's a lovely car. And I went from a 1994 Camry V-6 coupe to the Prius. Sure, the Camry is a little more refined, and a little more powerful, and has a nice big trunk, and more comfortable seats...it also gets 24 MPG on a good day.
I'm willing to give up a little refinement and a little comfort to save gas, and emit a lot fewer pollutants into the atmosphere.
Truth is, the next generation Prius is going to be the one to have, it'll likely be a plug-in hybrid, and will probably get over 100 mpg.
I don't understand people who say the Prius isn't worth it...sure, for its size, it should be priced at about 16K...but it has at least 50K worth of high-end technology in it. And it's a very refined, practical car. I'd say that's a fair trade. And if gasoline suddenly shoots up to 6 bucks a gallon (which is could..there's a whole list of things that could cause that, none of them implausible), I'm gonna be sitting pretty.
Oh, and by the way, to all those who say, or think, that the Prius doesn't *really* get good MPG? I get 55 MPG routinely, in ALL driving. I let the computer drive the car. That's the secret to driving it. You drive at reasonable speeds, no jackrabbit starts, and you let cruise-control drive at any speed above 25 mph. That's how it's supposed to be driven, but apparently a lot of people who own one can't let go of their lead-footed habits. Nor did they read the manual, apparently.
We all need electric cars. And a whole generation of practical electric cars is on the horizon. Another year, or two, and we'll be able to buy them. That'll be the sea-change. Or could be.
And, yes, making the batteries does take energy, and does cause pollution, and recycling the batteries will be a challenge...but if the day comes when, now and then, or often, there is just no gasoline to be had, you'll be glad you can plug your car into your electrical socket at home and get to work the next day.
And the benefits of no exhaust... No lubrication system. No cooling system. No catalytic converter...those benefits are huge. The cost and energy savings of simply having all those sub-systems disappear will be considerable.
There's a reason why oil companies have been fighting electric transportation for nearly 100 years. They get it. The people who run those companies understand full well the implications of an all-electric personal transportation system. It'd would change their business utterly.
I'm not sure anyone has really thought through all the benefits electric transportation would provide. Put a critical mass of practical electric cars into the market, and there will be a seismic shift. It'll take awhile, but it'll happen.
Much of the initial coverage about Fort Hood turned out to be wrong. Is there anything wrong with that?
The accountability imposed by another country for the CIA's kidnapping and torture reveals much about our own.
Fox News' morning show plays to type, talking about whether Muslims in the Army should face "special debriefings"
The Maine fight was supposed to be the dress rehearsal for repealing California's Prop. 8 -- but gay marriage lost
Once one obtains Seriousness credentials in the Washington media, they are irrevocable no matter one's conduct.
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