Ontopic New CAFE mpg poll results

dbzeag

Wants to kiss you where it stinks
Jun 9, 2006
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So apparently a poll was asking if they supported 60mpg average fuel economy laws by 2025. The results were about 62% of those polled.

There are some flaws with this poll, however.

For instance, who WOULDN'T want the exact same car they have now but get magically 60+mpg? There is no reference in the poll question if anyone was willing to pay more for that ability to get higher mileage. It was just a standard question, would you like more mileage. Who wouldn't want more mileage from their car?

What was interesting, though, was the responses this type of questioning got about this.

http://www.autoblog.com/2011/05/17/majority-of-americans-want-62-mpg-cafe-standards-automakers-don/

Not only were people siding with the car makers, who of course staunchly disagree with even the current CAFE plans because it requires them spend money into R&D, but because it was Nazifying the country, or something like that. Like it was ruining our freedom to buy gas guzzlers.

I can understand the reasons for owning work vehicles for, you know, work. I can completely justify the use of pickup trucks and even SUVs. I cannot, however, understand a couple things.

1) Why can't there be good small cars even offered on the market? Surely that would bring up fleet averages if there were even SOME sales of 50mpg buyers instead of the 25mpg they would have gotten instead.

2) Why is diesel so high in price? The whole reasoning for these talks is because gas is priced so high (which is hysterical when US pays the LEAST for gas of any country per income level) and not more accurately that gas is finite and we are depleting our deposits. Diesel is almost a "free" byproduct of the refining process yet costs MORE than standard gasoline. This backwards thinking has stifled years of productive R&D with regard to diesel technologies.

In conclusion, what are your thoughts about CAFE plans to up the requirements of auto makers to get 60+ mpg fleet average by 2025? I would think the millions of people buying cars in the cities wouldn't mind an infinite mpg car like electric or a 70+mpg diesel plug in electric B segment car. I know I would personally pay more than $20K for that privilege.
 
And like I said, I would be willing to pay more for such a model.

So what's the benefit? If you pay more for the vehicle to save money in gas, at best you're a wash... but chances would be good you're not saving enough in gas to make up the increased price in the car.
 
So what's the benefit? If you pay more for the vehicle to save money in gas, at best you're a wash... but chances would be good you're not saving enough in gas to make up the increased price in the car.

The price will drop next gen for that type of tech. and the immediate emissions savings now.