Who says 35 mpg doesn’t qualify as ‘efficient’? That seems pretty arbitrary especially considering the other qualities such a car might need.

You seem to lament the fact that hybrid drive trains are being developed for SUV’s and Trucks. Why? Seems to me if the American consumer desires such a vehicle then it may as well be ‘efficient’. Putting hybrid engines into small cars has been shown to be a)not as much of efficiency boost in terms of annual fuel usage and b)not a great enough annual fuel savings for the owner to justify its cost.

Flex Fuel is another problem. Everyone loves ‘flexibility’ but in this case it comes at the expense of efficiency. We’d be better off if we set a reasonable mandate for ethanol in mixture with gasoline (say E20). Vehicles could then be optimally tuned to maximize efficiency.

Who says 35 mpg doesn’t qualify as ‘efficient’? That seems pretty arbitrary especially considering the other qualities such a car might need.

You seem to lament the fact that hybrid drive trains are being developed for SUV’s and Trucks. Why? Seems to me if the American consumer desires such a vehicle then it may as well be ‘efficient’. Putting hybrid engines into small cars has been shown to be a)not as much of efficiency boost in terms of annual fuel usage and b)not a great enough annual fuel savings for the owner to justify its cost.

Flex Fuel is another problem. Everyone loves ‘flexibility’ but in this case it comes at the expense of efficiency. We’d be better off if we set a reasonable mandate for ethanol in mixture with gasoline (say E20). Vehicles could then be optimally tuned to maximize efficiency.

Who says 35 mpg doesn’t qualify as ‘efficient’? That seems pretty arbitrary especially considering the other qualities such a car might need.

You seem to lament the fact that hybrid drive trains are being developed for SUV’s and Trucks. Why? Seems to me if the American consumer desires such a vehicle then it may as well be ‘efficient’. Putting hybrid engines into small cars has been shown to be a)not as much of efficiency boost in terms of annual fuel usage and b)not a great enough annual fuel savings for the owner to justify its cost.

Flex Fuel is another problem. Everyone loves ‘flexibility’ but in this case it comes at the expense of efficiency. We’d be better off if we set a reasonable mandate for ethanol in mixture with gasoline (say E20). Vehicles could then be optimally tuned to maximize efficiency.

http://stokes.chop.edu/publications/press/?ID=5

As Dudley pointed out, the drivers of smaller vehicles are most often the ones who are driving irresponsibly. I’ve worked with a number of truck drivers over the years and they all approach their job with a high measure of professionalism. After all, it is their work, their income and their profession. People take risks on their free time, not when they are on the clock.

Really, the equation is simple:

40 tons of truck * 60 miles per hour = danger

2 tons of car * 60 miles per hour = danger

2.5 tons of suv * 60 miles per hour = danger

http://stokes.chop.edu/publications/press/?ID=5

As Dudley pointed out, the drivers of smaller vehicles are most often the ones who are driving irresponsibly. I’ve worked with a number of truck drivers over the years and they all approach their job with a high measure of professionalism. After all, it is their work, their income and their profession. People take risks on their free time, not when they are on the clock.

Really, the equation is simple:

40 tons of truck * 60 miles per hour = danger

2 tons of car * 60 miles per hour = danger

2.5 tons of suv * 60 miles per hour = danger

http://stokes.chop.edu/publications/press/?ID=5

As Dudley pointed out, the drivers of smaller vehicles are most often the ones who are driving irresponsibly. I’ve worked with a number of truck drivers over the years and they all approach their job with a high measure of professionalism. After all, it is their work, their income and their profession. People take risks on their free time, not when they are on the clock.

Really, the equation is simple:

40 tons of truck * 60 miles per hour = danger

2 tons of car * 60 miles per hour = danger

2.5 tons of suv * 60 miles per hour = danger

I bought a small SUV in 07 because I needed the extra hauling capacity. I also needed it to be not much bigger than a sedan so it fit in my small urban driveway. I gave up my 35mpg+ small commuter car that no longer worked since I was now a Mom with a family and a small business owner. (My car was totaled out courtesy of a fender bender because it was so old it had no value.)

In the 14 years since we bought our last car, the MPG should have gone UP. It went down. (I couldnl’t even buy the same car and get the same MPG.) I can’t tell you how ANGRY I was not to have the option of a SMALL HYBRID SUV or Crossover. There was no such vehicle on the market – domestic or foreign.

My husband’s 92 Maxima sedan gets better MPG than my new Subaru Forrester. The Max has 225K miles on it. I hope it lasts until we can afford to get a hybrid sedan to replace it.

I bought a small SUV in 07 because I needed the extra hauling capacity. I also needed it to be not much bigger than a sedan so it fit in my small urban driveway. I gave up my 35mpg+ small commuter car that no longer worked since I was now a Mom with a family and a small business owner. (My car was totaled out courtesy of a fender bender because it was so old it had no value.)

In the 14 years since we bought our last car, the MPG should have gone UP. It went down. (I couldnl’t even buy the same car and get the same MPG.) I can’t tell you how ANGRY I was not to have the option of a SMALL HYBRID SUV or Crossover. There was no such vehicle on the market – domestic or foreign.

My husband’s 92 Maxima sedan gets better MPG than my new Subaru Forrester. The Max has 225K miles on it. I hope it lasts until we can afford to get a hybrid sedan to replace it.