The Real Reason We Won't Get Chevy's Montana (Or Any Other Small Trucks) Is CAFE
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Date: 2022-12-05
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Comments and reviews: 13
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The major effects of the footprint-based CAFE standards are a greater percentage of larger (thus also heavier and taller) vehicles on the road, WORSE average fuel economy, and more danger and discomfort on the road for everyone not driving the largest class of vehicles. Our collective fuel use is higher and risk of serious injury or death is higher due poorly designed law I suspect the poor design was largely due to the persuasion of manufacturers, because it's cheaper to make a vehicle larger than more efficient, and people will pay more for larger size than greater efficiency. On a personal note, I happen to like small cars, but I don't fault anyone for liking big trucks and I don't think they should be outlawed or anything. But over the last 10-15 years the size differential between my small-to-average cars and most other vehicles means I can't see traffic ahead if I'm following, I am constantly blinded at night, I am always viscerally aware of how much physical harm I would suffer if I collided with most other vehicles, and, I believe, I am given less courtesy because lots of people drive as if size dictates right of way.
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The major effects of the footprint-based CAFE standards are a greater percentage of larger (thus also heavier and taller) vehicles on the road, WORSE average fuel economy, and more danger and discomfort on the road for everyone not driving the largest class of vehicles. Our collective fuel use is higher and risk of serious injury or death is higher due poorly designed law I suspect the poor design was largely due to the persuasion of manufacturers, because it's cheaper to make a vehicle larger than more efficient, and people will pay more for larger size than greater efficiency. On a personal note, I happen to like small cars, but I don't fault anyone for liking big trucks and I don't think they should be outlawed or anything. But over the last 10-15 years the size differential between my small-to-average cars and most other vehicles means I can't see traffic ahead if I'm following, I am constantly blinded at night, I am always viscerally aware of how much physical harm I would suffer if I collided with most other vehicles, and, I believe, I am given less courtesy because lots of people drive as if size dictates right of way.
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Kevin
There is absolutely massive room for improvement in fuel efficiency for a typical internal combustion engine. Most of them work in the range of 20-30% thermal efficiency. Manufacturers just don t want to try. Calling 50mpg unachievable in a truck is completely false. It would just require more effort than manufacturers are willing to do.
Changes in the market would push the manufacturers hand. Reducing or removing the massive US government subsidies for fossil fuels to bring the price of fuel up to reality rather than the artificially cheap prices that we appear to pay (but pay extra in taxes) would help change the market.
There is no motivation for the government to make changes to the CAFE regulations to force more efficient vehicles because they re making huge money off of the fines from manufacturers who don t care about the environment.
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There is absolutely massive room for improvement in fuel efficiency for a typical internal combustion engine. Most of them work in the range of 20-30% thermal efficiency. Manufacturers just don t want to try. Calling 50mpg unachievable in a truck is completely false. It would just require more effort than manufacturers are willing to do.
Changes in the market would push the manufacturers hand. Reducing or removing the massive US government subsidies for fossil fuels to bring the price of fuel up to reality rather than the artificially cheap prices that we appear to pay (but pay extra in taxes) would help change the market.
There is no motivation for the government to make changes to the CAFE regulations to force more efficient vehicles because they re making huge money off of the fines from manufacturers who don t care about the environment.
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tjs114
I remember the Oil Embargo because it was the year before I started school and my parents owned 2 cars- one was odd plate the other was an even plate and every day my mom & I would sit in line at the gas station to get our 10 gallons of gas and my dad would drive that vehicle to work the next day while we took the other vehicle and sat in line for 10 gallons. The vehicles? A 1966 Chevelle SS396 that got something like 8 or 9 mpg and the other was a 1973 Chevy 3/4 ton stepside pickup that on a good day got 7 or 8 mpg. Dad's commute was 80 miles/day. After about 6 months of that, Dad sold the Chevelle and bought a 6 months-old used Chevy Vega Kammack -- in Jack O'Lantern Orange with a black vinyl interior that got something like 16 mpg!
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I remember the Oil Embargo because it was the year before I started school and my parents owned 2 cars- one was odd plate the other was an even plate and every day my mom & I would sit in line at the gas station to get our 10 gallons of gas and my dad would drive that vehicle to work the next day while we took the other vehicle and sat in line for 10 gallons. The vehicles? A 1966 Chevelle SS396 that got something like 8 or 9 mpg and the other was a 1973 Chevy 3/4 ton stepside pickup that on a good day got 7 or 8 mpg. Dad's commute was 80 miles/day. After about 6 months of that, Dad sold the Chevelle and bought a 6 months-old used Chevy Vega Kammack -- in Jack O'Lantern Orange with a black vinyl interior that got something like 16 mpg!
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Robert
So basically. our fuel economy rules encourage BAD fuel economy. Bravo.
I've always wondered why we don't just let the market take care of this? Remove ALL subsidies for fuel (electricity or petroleum. Let consumers buy whatever they want. I don't know what subsidies remain for renewables. Petroleum is subsidized somewhere between ten and fifteen dollars per gallon.
Economical vehicles pay for welfare queen pickup trucks.
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So basically. our fuel economy rules encourage BAD fuel economy. Bravo.
I've always wondered why we don't just let the market take care of this? Remove ALL subsidies for fuel (electricity or petroleum. Let consumers buy whatever they want. I don't know what subsidies remain for renewables. Petroleum is subsidized somewhere between ten and fifteen dollars per gallon.
Economical vehicles pay for welfare queen pickup trucks.
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Matthew
Love it! So often people speak out of their behinds, not Alex! I always figured people we're being unreasonable about the price of fuel, and that accounting for inflation, we weren't really that worse off than in the past. And again, people like to always blame democrats for environmental regulations, but fail to realize that many of those infamous regulations were passed by Republican administrations.
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Love it! So often people speak out of their behinds, not Alex! I always figured people we're being unreasonable about the price of fuel, and that accounting for inflation, we weren't really that worse off than in the past. And again, people like to always blame democrats for environmental regulations, but fail to realize that many of those infamous regulations were passed by Republican administrations.
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Andrew
This is a great explanation of not just why we can't have small trucks, but also why all our F-150/Ram/Tundra/Silverado models are getting huge. Let's them get away with lower fuel economy. Which sucks - because I don't want to have to reach overhead just to get something in the bed of my truck! Seems like fixing the curve on CAFE could help a number of things while still meeting the overall goal.
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This is a great explanation of not just why we can't have small trucks, but also why all our F-150/Ram/Tundra/Silverado models are getting huge. Let's them get away with lower fuel economy. Which sucks - because I don't want to have to reach overhead just to get something in the bed of my truck! Seems like fixing the curve on CAFE could help a number of things while still meeting the overall goal.
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CLL1
As an auto dealer, I can assure you these things would sell like hot cakes here in the US if marketed with an attractive price like the Maverick. If they d stick some of their existing hybrid powertrains in as options, so much the better. Much respect for your analysis here Alex, maybe they can figure a way to work around all this CAFE stuff.
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As an auto dealer, I can assure you these things would sell like hot cakes here in the US if marketed with an attractive price like the Maverick. If they d stick some of their existing hybrid powertrains in as options, so much the better. Much respect for your analysis here Alex, maybe they can figure a way to work around all this CAFE stuff.
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us1fedvet
I don t want an adorable motor vehicle, particularly a truck. It has about a three and a half foot bed and limited storage otherwise. A vehicle of this size can have a genuine 5-6 foot bed presuming all space isn t turned into passenger room. The CAFE standards are Byzantine.
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I don t want an adorable motor vehicle, particularly a truck. It has about a three and a half foot bed and limited storage otherwise. A vehicle of this size can have a genuine 5-6 foot bed presuming all space isn t turned into passenger room. The CAFE standards are Byzantine.
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Christopher
It s gross. So is the Hyundai, and the Toyota version looking like this. Im glad I won t have to look at this vehicle. I do appreciate you reporting on the vehicle though and appreciate all your videos. Thanks! Have a great day! You do great work!
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It s gross. So is the Hyundai, and the Toyota version looking like this. Im glad I won t have to look at this vehicle. I do appreciate you reporting on the vehicle though and appreciate all your videos. Thanks! Have a great day! You do great work!
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autos
Many say this is too small but back in the 70s the chevy luv (and others), smaller and less powerful than this, sold like the proverbial hotcakes. Just make these, and almost all vehicles, hybrids. Mpg issue solved
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Many say this is too small but back in the 70s the chevy luv (and others), smaller and less powerful than this, sold like the proverbial hotcakes. Just make these, and almost all vehicles, hybrids. Mpg issue solved
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Hyn
Perhaps trading/selling CAFE credits should not be allowed across different manufactures so they would try harder to make better fuel efficient vehicles themselves.
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Perhaps trading/selling CAFE credits should not be allowed across different manufactures so they would try harder to make better fuel efficient vehicles themselves.
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Darrell
Very informative video. Thanks for creating this. However, I noticed several typos throughout the video. It needs another pass through the editing process.
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Very informative video. Thanks for creating this. However, I noticed several typos throughout the video. It needs another pass through the editing process.
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alex_on_autos
So CAFE punishes light trucks harshly while letting big trucks off the hook, relatively speaking. CAFE incentivizes larger trucks/SUVs.
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So CAFE punishes light trucks harshly while letting big trucks off the hook, relatively speaking. CAFE incentivizes larger trucks/SUVs.
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