New Vehicle Fuel Consumption Could Be Cut by 30% or More 7 comments
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Fuel consumption of new vehicles could be reduced by 30-50 percent by 2035, according to an analysis by MIT. Total US fuel use for vehicles could be cut to year 2000 levels, with greenhouse gas emissions cut by almost as much, the study finds.
However, this will require not just developing improved and new engines, vehicles and fuels, but also convincing people that they don’t need to buy bigger, faster cars.
No single technology development or alternative fuel can solve the problems of growing transportation fuel use and GHG emissions. Progress must come from a comprehensive, coordinated effort to develop and market more efficient vehicles and benign fuels, and to find more sustainable ways to satisfy transportation demands.
The report says slashing transportation fuel use and greenhouse gas emissions by 2035 will require immediate action on several challenging fronts”
- For the near term (up to 15 years), we should increase our efforts to improve light-duty vehicle engines and transmissions, but all improvements must go toward increasing fuel efficiency rather than making cars bigger and faster. Also critical is reducing vehicle weight and size.
- For the mid- and long-term (15-30 years, and more than 30 years), we should ramp up work on radically different technologies such as plug-in hybrids and hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles.
- We must also develop and market more environmentally benign fuels based on nonpetroleum sources. In general, the use of biofuels will grow but not as fast as expected just a few years ago.
- A coordinated set of regulatory and fiscal measures will be needed to push and pull improved technologies and greener alternative fuels into the market place in high volume. Measures should require auto manufacturers to make smaller, more-efficient cars, encourage consumers to choose those vehicles, and discourage everyone from driving so much.
The nearly 200-page analysis, On The Road in 20035, examines a wide range of potential efficiency improvements.
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This article has 7 comments:
"However, this will require not just developing improved and new engines, vehicles and fuels, but also convincing people that they don’t need to buy bigger, faster cars."
When will greenies understand that once they make these new cars look sexy and go fast, they'll have customers lining up around the block? Same with trucks. People will flock to a good looking hybrid truck that could pull a 2000 lb load up a steep grade.
Americans have the expertise, design skills, and consumer marketing savvy to be able design vehicles people want to drive; while at the same time "saving the planet" and lessening our dependence on oil. I would say that if the econobox car or truck becomes the standard, then we've already sowed the seeds of failure.
I say that based on our experience of driving the butt-ugly but economical cars of the late-70's and into the 80's. The Pinto, the Horizon, the K-Car, the Fiesta, etc. The 55 mile an hour speed limit wasn't so bad, because these cars couldn't do much over 60. They saved gas, but once the price of oil started dropping, Americans ran from those plague cars and went to vehicles that were stylish, fast, and could haul a decent payload.
If we want these new technologies to stick, then we need to continue to have cars do 0-60 in 6 seconds or less, SUV's that can haul entire childrens' soccer teams, and trucks that are as big as Indian elephants. I'm kind of overstating the size thing. Speed wise, it wasn't surprising that Al Gore's kid got arrested in a high speed chase. What surprised us was that he did it in a Prius. The whole thing let us know that that a car shaped like a human foot could consistently do over 100 mph.
Automakers should remember that people want to own a vehicle they can be proud of overall, not just because it "saves the planet" alone. We like styling. We like to be able to stick our foot in it and blow the doors of stupid drivers. We own large boats and would like to tow them to the lake or ocean. There are examples out there, like the Tesla, the BMW Hydrogen 7, the electric Mini that's coming in a couple of years, and Chevy's Tahoe SUV.
Keep it up and we'll buy them. Make them ugly and impractical, and people will flee them as soon as it's feasible.
paying $4.50 a gal. But they never sold them in the U.S.A.??
You always hear that "90% of accidents occur within 25 miles of home" "buckle up etc".
Now: I doubt that those "accidents" are just lurking on a 25 mi. perimeter around your house or it takes everyone 1/2 hour to wake--or sober up-(reach beyond 25mi.)!!
The quick answer is a little electric for the 90% of our driving on less than 25mi. 6 pack runs, etc. And a dusty SUV in the garage for the 200mi. trip to Grandmas house, skiing, fishing etc.
If you have to commute that far??---there are some good housing buys right now-- and much closer for a double savings.
Maybe you're not a car person. If that's true, it's fine. Not that being a car person is the be-all end-all. But it is fun and enjoyable to track all the changes come new model year.
But are you following my point? Use hybrid, batteries and fuel cell technology to power the cars and trucks we're used to today. Saturn uses lightweight body panels. Use them and other new body cladding technology; especially on trucks. They need to save on weight for the heavier and firmer frames they require.
The new Tesla goes 0-60 in under 6 seconds. And it's a great looking roadster. And it doesn't use gasoline. The BMW Hydrogen 7 has over 1 million miles of road testing to date. It's as plush a ride as any other 7 Series car you could find in a dealer lot. But it's byproduct is water instead of hydrocarbons. Porsche has a hybrid Cayenne coming out. I'm sure that one will be powerful and spacious. The current Tahoe hybrid can tow 3 tons.
All I'm saying is to use the technology we have to ease the transition to full implementation. Don't make the mistake of the 70's and try to force boring but economical vehicles down our throats. If you don't care about what car you drive, there will be someone making something like that as well. But for those of us who pay attention, and want to do right by Mother Nature, don't try to shoehorn us into econoboxes.