Fuel economy: Is it meaningless?
Is it all about good karma?Why do people care about fuel economy?
I can largely only think of three things: bragging, altruism, and cost of ownership. And most seem to be driven only by the later and only during gas price spikes.
In recent years, it's become more of a factor, but not that much of a factor.
Ratings systems are a hot topic these days, with plug-in vehicles coming on line. Can fuel economy be fairly rated as more fuels are added to the mix?
Yet, I wonder, do these rating systems even matter?
Why not just average total cost of ownership if that's what drives consumers?
Labels: fuel economy
posted by Dahcredyns at
9:59 AM
15 Comments:
Until we actually associate or link our fuel economy to our environmental impact, it's going to remain an egocentric self-centered driven mentality.
Perhaps future generations, who will be directly impacted more severely than us due to each action taken, will appreciate fuel economy concerns more than we do today.
If people in this country especially had to pay for the direct cost of fuel and war, many of these wasteful douce bags would sing a different tune.
Of course, it's alot easier to simply drive an Explorer and have a SUPPORT THE TROOPS bumper sticker on it to make themselves feed good.
on a carbon footprint basis - how do plug-ins compare with gasoline-fueled autos?
Wouldn't carbon footprints simply be proportional to mpg's? Or do you want manufactoring to be taken into account?
Noz,
If they really wanted to support our troops, they would use less oil so we wouldn't have to send Americans to die protecting foreign oil.
What most Americans don't realize is that gasoline supplies "energy" to drive a vehicle and it does so inefficiently.
Unfortunately, the cost of the fuel and the vehicles are still low enough that economically, gas is still the leader.
So I guess our measuring stick is a combination of vehicle cost and dollars per mile.
But.....Even if all of that were a wash, we still have to factor in range and ease of refueling.
SMURF:
That's exactly my point...when it comes down to it, they simply don't give a shit.
Larry, in the short term, plug-ins, including manufacturing caused emissions, are not advantageous compared to gasoline powered vehicle. As they scale, however, more efficient supply chains would change that.
However, that does bring up the point made by others, what's the environmental impact of the energy used by these vehicles?
In a perfect world, total cost of vehicle ownership could include total cost, and environmental impact, of the energy to power a vehicle. For instance, coal based electricity versus ethanol versus wind based electricity versus gasoline, etc.
Of course, developing a full environmental impact and cost analysis on all these fuels - region by region based on local use - might be a very political and, therefore, subjective process.
Question 1: I am starting a job with a 120 mile (200 km) round trip commute, mostly on highway that has little traffic for at least 75% of the distance. Is a hybrid more efficient than a diesel or a regular engine in this case?
question 2: does anyone know if there are government rebates or incentives for hybrids in Canada & Quebec?
Thanks!!
Chris-
It's hard to say. Definitely diesel or hybrid will be more efficient than a conventional vehicle, but then you also have to factor in upfront costs, etc.
According to the US EPA's fuel economy highway standards, a vehicle like the Prius is still probably the winner, but not by much, when compared to a similarly sized Jetta TDI for instance.
--
I know there were incentives in Canada and in some provinces, but I have no idea if they still exist.
Thank you. I currently drive a 2002 Honda Accord V6 coupe so I'm sure I will save if I go for a more fuel efficient car.
Well, I'm sure you'd save more, but would you save enough to justify a new car purchase?
Unless your car is in bad shape, I'd probably keep your Accord in for a few more years. I usually try to keep my vehicles for a decade. New cars are a cash flow killer.
I think plenty of people are concerned with fuel economy in their vehicles, at least since the gas prices spiked last year, and now they're fluctuating once again.
Not many people realize that they are their own worst enemies when it comes to their MPG. Most drivers aren't fuel efficient on the road. Most people I see on the road do a lot of "hurry up and wait" and stop signs, accelerate quickly and act like their in NASCAR, and maintain a speed well above 55 MPH on the highway which kills gas mileage.
Chris - hybrids are more fuel efficient for city driving, but not so much for highway driving. I don't know much about diesel, but a regular gasoline vehicle would still do the same, or better, as long as you employ good, fuel efficient driving techniques.
Plenty of people might have concern, but not enough to make a real difference at any level.
Also, I think clean diesel and hybrids do provide a little of an advantage on the highway. According to the EPA the Prius achieves 48 mpg on the highway, while a slightly smaller Corolla achieves 34 mpg. That's not an insignificant difference in my opinion.
When it comes time, most people are hypocrites and do not do what they claim they will do to "save this or save that."
How many suburbanites would give up their toys and fancy crap to help preserve whatever is left on this planet for their precious children?
None.
The same can be said regarding people and cars.
none might be a little strong, but considering the small amount that actually do the right thing, none is probably pretty accurate.
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