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America’s Cars Are Getting Faster and More Efficient

bloomberg.com

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Re: America’s Cars Are Getting Faster and More Efficient

#181

Post by JauntTrooper »

exclusiv wrote: post #157
alexbeloi wrote: post #76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

American cars are bigger (longer) and faster. When I've traveled in Europe, I'm always surprised by how small most cars are and how small the parking spots are. High mpg options exist in the US. Americans seem to prefer to trade gas savings for more power and bigger cars rather than saving some cash, at least at the current price point of gas.

It makes sense - most of the infrastructure was built before the car. So it's not really feasible to accommodate large vehicles. It's not even possible for them to put the toilet anywhere other than INSIDE the shower in many places because the apartments are so small. Sometimes they even have "floor urinals". I get a laugh out of it every time but they do have some serious size constraints in many places over there.

I would think much of the infrastructure had to be rebuilt after WW2 though, no?

Re: America’s Cars Are Getting Faster and More Efficient

#182

Post by ebbv »

Someone1234 wrote: post #146
DamnInteresting wrote: post #73

A few weeks ago I bought a Chevy Bolt EV...according to the dealer it was the first one sold in my state (Utah). I'd been on a waiting list for almost a year. Sure, ICE engines are getting better, but EVs are rapidly gaining and will soon surpass. The Bolt is a bit expensive for a car of its body type, but "gassing up" at home is amazing, the 200+ mile range is great, and the sharply reduced emissions are a weight of…

Electric vehicles are a tough sell now though. The Chevy Bolt EV has a 60 kWh Lithium-ion battery; to charge that fully costs $8.7 in Utah (14.5 cents per kWh). Per the EPA's measure that gets you 238 miles. Gas costs approx $2.24/gallon in Utah. A Prius has a 11.3 gallon tank and a 540 miles range (again, EPA standard). That means that $11.15 would get you the same distance as a full Bolt EV charge in gas. Now, befo…

You'd be surprised at how much the maintenance savings are. They could easily make up the difference in price of the car. Especially when you count the $7500 tax refund for getting an EV. It's not just oil changes but everything else having to do with an ICE you get to skip out on. Plus brake changes are far more rare due to so much regenerative breaking.

Lastly I would add that you can't directly compare the cars on price in that way because the Bolt (and Nissan Leaf) are also much nicer cars than the base $23k Prius with many features the Prius doesn't have.

EDIT: oh and one more thing; I don't know about Utah but most energy companies in the US have different rates for electricity during the day or at night (off peak) and you can easily set your EV to charge overnight, saving even more money.

Re: America’s Cars Are Getting Faster and More Efficient

#184

Post by [deleted] »

minikites wrote: post #179
azinman2 wrote: post #165

For all the talk by liberatians and their ilk that regulation is bad and unnecessary, that chart of median fuel effeciency due to government requirements should give them pause. Wow. Well over a decade of non-progress until a path forward is mandated. Suddently the needle starts moving, with car owners, the environment, and energy import needs as big winners here.

Based on the libertarians I've talked with about seat belt laws, their argument would probably be to hand-wave it away with "It would have happened anyway thanks to the magic of the market."

[deleted]

Re: America’s Cars Are Getting Faster and More Efficient

#185

Post by kauffj »

minikites wrote: post #179
azinman2 wrote: post #165

For all the talk by liberatians and their ilk that regulation is bad and unnecessary, that chart of median fuel effeciency due to government requirements should give them pause. Wow. Well over a decade of non-progress until a path forward is mandated. Suddently the needle starts moving, with car owners, the environment, and energy import needs as big winners here.

Based on the libertarians I've talked with about seat belt laws, their argument would probably be to hand-wave it away with "It would have happened anyway thanks to the magic of the market."

Individuals have immediate, direct incentive to wear seat belts. Seat belts are not a collective action problem the way climate change is.

Re: America’s Cars Are Getting Faster and More Efficient

#186

Post by jrs95 »

minikites wrote: post #179
azinman2 wrote: post #165

For all the talk by liberatians and their ilk that regulation is bad and unnecessary, that chart of median fuel effeciency due to government requirements should give them pause. Wow. Well over a decade of non-progress until a path forward is mandated. Suddently the needle starts moving, with car owners, the environment, and energy import needs as big winners here.

Based on the libertarians I've talked with about seat belt laws, their argument would probably be to hand-wave it away with "It would have happened anyway thanks to the magic of the market."

I think the argument would probably be more like "New cars would be substantially cheaper if it weren't for these regulations." Their preferred means of dealing with the pollution problem would be something like a carbon tax (assuming they're the type to actually believe it exists, anyways)

Re: America’s Cars Are Getting Faster and More Efficient

#187

Post by pbhjpbhj »

Tepix wrote: post #79

What the heck do you need all that horsepower for? You got the speed limit anyway. If you'd make the cars lighter and put in a 100hp engine you'd end up using half as much gas. Yikes!

So they can win social Top Trumps at parties? Beyond "dick swinging" the utility is probably limited.

Re: America’s Cars Are Getting Faster and More Efficient

#188

Post by djrogers »

> Cylinder deactivation debuted about 10 years ago

No, it debuted over 100 years ago, and was standard on every Cadillac V8 for sale in 1981 - 36 years ago. Sure today's versions are better, but the quote above is about as literally false as one can get.

[1]https://www.hemmings.com/magazine/hmn/2008/04/Cadillac-V-8-6...

Re: America’s Cars Are Getting Faster and More Efficient

#189

Post by barrkel »

kauffj wrote: post #185
minikites wrote: post #179

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Based on the libertarians I've talked with about seat belt laws, their argument would probably be to hand-wave it away with "It would have happened anyway thanks to the magic of the market."

Individuals have immediate, direct incentive to wear seat belts. Seat belts are not a collective action problem the way climate change is.

When health costs are socialised - and insurance is a way of socialising costs - it does become a collective action problem, because the negligence of the few increases​ the costs of the many.

Re: America’s Cars Are Getting Faster and More Efficient

#190

Post by cmrdporcupine »

YSFEJ4SWJUVU6 wrote: post #172
vvanders wrote: post #151

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You forgot oil changes in you calc. Also your $8.70 is only $4.19 in Washington :). Costs are dropping on EVs and will continue to drop as economy of scale picks up. They may not make sense today but there's a good chance they will tomorrow.

>You forgot oil changes in you calc. Are you, perhaps, being sarcastic with your comment? Anyway, there are few countries (if any) on Earth where EVs make financial sense for an average person. Their time will come, but buying into it now is not investing – indeed, as the GP commented, you do it for altogether different reasons.

No, he's not being sarcastic. Are you? EVs don't require oil changes. Or muffler/exhaust service. Or transmission service. And their brakes last longer.
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