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Should more fuel efficient
vehicles be required by
law?
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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 http://www.csmonitor.com/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
» http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/which_tested.shtml
Aspire vs. Explorer
Average Mpg
Aspire ~37
4WD Explorer ~ 15
For every 1 Aspire sold, could sell 2.1
Explorers and still achieve an avg 22 mpg
Explorer also has double the CO2
emissions.
i
n
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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…
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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.
http://www.bridger.us/2002/12/1
6/CrashTestingMINICooperVsFo
rdF150
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Will making vehicles more fuel efficient cost
Cheap Ideas:
consumers?
Use lighter materials
Aluminum or high strength steel ~$1000
Reduce Drag
Slippery car design, replace side mirrors with small video cameras
~$180
Redesign engines
Added ability to shut off extra engine cylinders at cruising speeds
~$480
Hybrid design
Use an electric motor to start car from idle ~$660
Add more gears
5 speeds are more efficient than automatics, 6 speeds would be
even better.
Using a combination of these ideas can increase mileage by 30%
A 15 mpg SUV could get now get 20 mpg
*Savings of only $750 per year at $3 a gallon,but
Business Week 9/26/2005 Issue 3952, p40-41
Saves ~ $5,000 over ten years, 17% of the original price.
Will higher prices of fuel cause
people to buy more fuel efficient
cars?
Ford Explorer and Expedition sales were down 25-30%
earlier this year, but is it due entirely to high gas
prices?
Unlikely to think about when buying a new car
Average cost of an SUV ~ $30,000
Savings per year on fuel if bought a hybrid (Honda Insight)
Considering average miles per year ~ 15,000
At 3 dollars a gallon, would save only $2,250 per year,
less than 10% of the price
“If you can afford a $30,000 vehicle, you can afford the
gas” (Petroleum Economist. London 2005. pg 1.)
Space, comfort, and horse power have value too, more
tangible benefits than saving the environment.
Note: Yet over the 10 year life span of a car, total expenditure
(purchase price plus fuel)
Insight costs ~$30,000
Explorer costs ~$60,000
Median income in 2004 ~$44,000 (www.census.gov), multiplied by 10
years, $30K only amounts to about ~14.6% of total earnings.
It is more likely that the decrease in sales is from
greater competition in the SUV market.
What about increasing the gasoline tax to get
people to buy more fuel efficient cars?
Would probably work, but with ill effects
Gasoline is a very inelastic commodity
Between -.11 in short run -.3 in long run.
*numbers vary* (The Energy Journal Oct 1993,
v14, n4, p99)
i.e a 1% increase in price only decreases
the amount of gasoline consumed by .11%
Vehicles are durable goods (i.e. they last a long
time), not everyone can buy a new car
immediately after prices go up and will suffer.
Economy is heavily reliant on low gasoline prices
Fast price increases could induce a recession.
Gradual price increases could induce inflation.
Unlikely that a large enough price hike would pass
through legislation.
Slower to require higher vehicle fuel efficiencies,
but easier to pass.
New Government Standards
» National Highway Traffic Safety Association’s Corporate
Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) separates vehicles into
categories based on size (area between the wheels).
» 6 different categories based on area.
» Greater the area, the less stringent the standard
» Decided to move away from weight categories because they felt
companies would just make vehicles heavier.
» Expected to be approved in April
» Will take into effect on new vehicles of the 2010-2011
years.
»
“U.S. Secretary Mineta Unveils Plan Requiring Better Gas
Mileage from SUVs, Pickups and Mini-vans” August 23, 2005. http://www.nhtsa.gov
How Do We Stack Up?
• The U.S. is in last place of modern
countries in fuel efficiency standards.
– China’s fuel mileage goals are 22% tougher
than the U.S.
• CO2 per capita
– U.S ~ 20 tons/year, was 6.6 back in 1995
( http://yosemite.epa.gov/oar/globalwarming.nsf/content/emissionsindivid
ual.html)
– Germany ~ 10 tons/year
– UK ~ 9 tons/year
– China ~ 2.5 tons/year
Too Little Too Late?
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Will increasing fuel efficiency
requirements impede global
warming?
~25% of U.S. fleet is
composed of SUVs
Only about 1% of U.S.
fleet turned over every
year.
Change to more fuel
efficient vehicles will take
time, vehicles last longer
than ever before. ~10
year life.
Changes aren’t required
until 2011.
Overall Recap
The automotive industry’s argument that improving mileage
would compromise safety is untrue.
It is a myth that it would cost consumers significantly more to
increase fuel efficiency.
It is unlikely that market forces will cause the average fuel
efficiency to go up on their own.
If the government tries to manipulate the market through
gasoline taxes, there could be ill economic effects.
The U.S. currently has one of the worst CO2 emitted per capita
in the world.
Because there is such a large fleet, it will take some time to
reach.
Bibliography
“Crash Course: How U.S. Shifted Gears to Find Small Cars Can Be Safe,
Too”. Wall Street Journal. New York, N.Y.: Sep 26, 2005. pg. A.1
“Get Real”. Petroleum Economist. London: June 2005. pg. 1
“Getting More Miles to the Gallon -Fast” Business Week 9/26/2005. Issue
3952, p40-41.
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/which_tested.shtml
www.epa.gov, click global warming link
http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/portal/site/nhtsa/menuitem.d0b5a45b55bfbe582f5
7529cdba046a0/ (CAFE regulations)
http://www.bridger.us/2002/12/16/CrashTestingMINICooperVsFordF150
http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0519/p14s01-sten.htm
“Another look at U.S. passenger vehicle use and the 'rebound' effect from
improved fuel efficiency” The Energy Journal Oct 1993, v14, n4, p99(12)