For The Record
Posted by
Eric de Place
12/26/2007 12:55 PM
More on SUVs and the math of MPG.
I wrote a couple of provocative blog posts last week (including one that went careening around the Internets and became my all-time most popular post). They elicited reactions ranging from the mildly inquisitive to the genuinely spittle-flecked. Good times!
But while I always welcome an argument -- even a heated one -- I was chagrined to learn that many readers misunderstood my intended point. That's usually the author's fault, as it was this time, and my post titles didn't help matters.
So, I'm going to clarify a couple of things now:
- While it's true that the biggest fuel savings by far can be found at the bottom end of the fleet, I don't think that 18 mpg minimum is an acceptable stopping point for conservation. We should aim for much higher fleet averages.
- While it's true that the there's a bigger fuel consumption difference between 15 and 18 mpg than there is between 50 and 100 mpg, there is, of course, an even bigger difference yet between 15 and 50 (or 15 and 100). It'd be terrific if 100 mpg cars became commonplace.
- On the other hand, it'd be even more terrific, perhaps, if cars just became less commonplace than they are now. I didn't say this earlier, but I should now: from the perspective of fuel conservation, we can also do other things besides vehicle efficiency standards. I think it's of paramount importance to reduce driving too.
