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Should more fuel efficient vehicles be required by law? By Nicholas Luebker The Fuel Problem The U.S. is heavily reliant upon politically unstable foreign oil sources. 56% of the U.S.’s fuel comes from foreign sources /2005/0519/p14s01-sten.htm Low fuel efficiencies make us more vulnerable to oil price spikes Hurricane Katrina, over $3 a gallon Automobiles 2nd biggest factor after industry to contributing to global warming by producing green house gases such as: CO, CO2, NO2, CH4 (methane) Old Fuel Economy Requirements Require an “average” fuel economy The average mpg for a company’s entire fleet of vehicles had to be 22 mpg. Allowed companies to make lots of little, light weight cars cars and keep selling the lucrative gas guzzling SUVs. *Vehicles over 8500 lbs not even tested Includes: Avalanche, Silverado, Dodge Ram, F-250 350, Hummer 1 2 /feg/which_tested.shtml Why hasn’t the government required higher efficiencies for all vehicles? For years, under standard vehicle designs, weight reductions were the main way to increase fuel economy. Every 100 lbs removed from a vehicle improves efficiency by 1-2% However, studies found that lighter cars were not nearly as safe. In 1997, mathematician Charles Kahane estimated that even 100 lbs reductions in vehicles would increase the average fatalities per year by ~300 people because they were less safe. Makes sense in basic physics model Ironically, the government’s “average mpg” requirement increased the discrepancy between very small and light vehicles with high mpg (Aspire) and heavy SUVs but… Safety Concern Not Entirely Valid Safety has much more to do with engineering than weight. Stiffer design More crumple room Shorter engine 2002 Honda Civic (mpg 39) designed to be light and safe, 1st to received 5 star crash test rating in all 4 categories. 2002 Mini cooper, avg mpg ~28 2002 F-150, avg mpg ~15 Crashing into same barrier at 40 mph. Will making vehicles more fuel efficient cost consumers? Cheap Ideas: Use light
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