njansenv wrote:
I didn't say "EV". I DO think that on the whole, it would be better for society if we DIDN'T believe we NEEDED 3-4000lb vehicles to get a person around.
I'd suggest that high gas prices would "encourage" people to look at energy efficient options (not necessarily EV, nor new) and rethink the current norm.
I don't buy the hype that is "Global Warming (tm)". But I DO believe that we each have some social responsibility to be aware of (and attempt to control) our consumption. I also feel the same way about driving "Cat lightened" vehicles on a daily basis...FWIW
Gas is not "bad". I didn't say OR imply it. I do believe that gross consumption of resources is, at the very least, unwise. ergo (IMHO): expensive fuel to encourage people to buy and desire efficient vehicles and therefore drive vehicle development at the manufacturer level. As long as "we" keep buying 4klb vehicles that suck excessive resources, that's what manufacturers will supply. And I don't blame them.
I'm always amazed at the fuel efficient "good cars" the europeans get...and buy. Those choices are largely driven by expensive fuel, but I don't think they're "suffering" because they can't afford to commute in a 3/4 ton truck.
I drive any of a number of gas powered cars every day (though I just added a diesel to the fleet). My choices are (frankly) largely driven by cost of ownership based on my 100mile commute.
I went back and re-read your original post, I was obviously off in la-la land regarding the EV thing, sorry. I am totaly with you on using less as a general principal.
We would be miles better off if people did not buy a massive vehicle capable of traversing the Kalahari with the air-con full blast to go 30 miles to work on a freeway. I seriously got into an argument with a freind once about it. The basic gist of my position was that its pretty stupid to sacrifice handling, fun factor, mileage, purchase cost, etc for the sake of being able to handle that trip to Home Depot once a year without help. Freind got an SUV. Hates it. Wants a small-midsize car now. Smugness factor up about 100% for me.
The thing that really kills me is that if such vehicles (SUVs) ran diesels, they would have more TQ and probably get mid 20s or beter mileage save for the horrible PM traps introduced in mid 2007. Guys with pre-07.5 TDs will get low 20s MPG when not towing easaly in 8000LB trucks with the aero of a brick. Imagine what a nice 300 WTQ Explorer with a 4Lish TD would get.
BUT. Taxes are not the way to do it. Nor are regs. The regs regarding diesels are a nightmare both financially and in terms of the environment.
The way to do it is with an educated population. I truly beleive that. Look at all the major successes of smaller vehicles with some actual character lately. Shoot the Focus was a hit because it was one of the few contemporary domestic compacts that did not suck in terms of its chassis or transmission. That was during the height of the SUV wars. With gas prices where they are now I already see the used lots scrambling to get rid of the SUVs. And peoples attitudes have changed a lot over the last couple years regarding spending in general.
My guess is that if you had a lot of really good Colorado-sized trucks out there running a 3L TD for 25K getting high 20s MPG on the highway with 300Ft/LBs of TQ, people would gobble them up. And thats not a hard vehicle to build with current technology. Shoot an old 4BT Cummins could acomplish that in a 3800Lb vehicle. But with the current regs, the emmisions side of it would be a nightmare, hence nobody is doing it. Sucks.
