Light trucks, heavy-duty pickup trucks, SUVs, Peterbilts (what be they?) to take the boat to the lake, snowmobile trailers, Chevy Dually 4X4 Ext cabs, fifth-wheel trailers...
Sorry, please don't take it personally, but I'm more exercised by this: "The average American uses twice as much energy as the average European or Japanese and 155 times as much as the average Nepalese." My sympathies lie entirely with the Nepalese. Energy-junkie Americans are driving the planet into its grave. This is not just a domestic issue and nobody else's business. You guys are just going to have to go cold-turkey on a few little items in your over-wheeled lifestyle one of these days. Re SUVs, and your other message about the Pinzgauer, I think your needs are not exactly typical. Most SUV buyers are motivated by trend and fashion, not real need. only to spend more than 36 hours a year idling in city traffic jams - 1999 total of 4.5 billion hours of delay and 6.8 billion gallons of excess fuel consumed, and rather more than that in 2001, judging by the sales pattern. http://mobility.tamu.edu/2001/study/short_report.stm 2001 Urban Mobility Study: The Short Version I think the same can be said for the majority of US gas-guzzling and energy use - it's just wasteful, for no good reason. Oh yeah - yes, the Pinzgauer passes the market test, it's done well for more than 20 years. But the US market test? Well, many of the best vehicles don't pass that, do they? How many Audi A2's are on the road there? http://www.nytimes.com/2001/05/27/business/27DIES.html "It Gets 78 Miles a Gallon, but U.S. Snubs Diesel", May 27, 2001 Or Lupo 3L TDi's? And so on and on. If you look at the Mercedes Benz G-wagen site, they're touting the 270 CDi diesel. But at the US Mercedes site, it's the G-500 with the 292hp V8 gas engine, the diesel isn't even offered. The diesel gets average 21.6 mpg, or 18.3 mpg in the city, the V8 gets average 14 mpg, or 10.8 mpg in the city, where most of them probably spend most of their time. There's a big diesel V8 too, the G-400 CDi, with similar oomph and more torque, which averages 18.4 mpg, or 14.6 mpg in the city, but that also isn't offered in the US. Ah well... When Journey to Forever was still based at the Beach House in Hong Kong, when I thought too much about these things I could go for a stroll on the beach and find a wild water-buffalo to discuss it with, which helped a lot. Sensible beasts - aka "The Asian tractor", doesn't guzzle gas. Not many water-buffalo here in Osaka... Think I'll buy a donkey and spend my time taking little Japanese kids for rides in the park, that'd be fun. Keith Addison Journey to Forever Handmade Projects Osaka, Japan http://journeytoforever.org/ >--- In [EMAIL PROTECTED], Keith Addison <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/14512/story.htm > > Planet Ark : > > The legislation would combine the passenger car and light truck > > categories beginning with the 2010 model year. However, heavy-duty > > pickup trucks would not be included. >Dusting off my Crystal Ball, I will make a prediction. Sales of heavy- >duty pickup trucks will go through the roof, while sales of fuel- >efficient ones, will drop considerably. > > > > > > Light trucks were allowed to have lower mileage when Congress >passed > > the CAFE law in the mid-1970s because they were used by farmers and > > small businesses at the time. >This hasn't changed. > >Now, SUVs and other light trucks > > account for half of U.S. vehicle sales. >SUV should not be considered light trucks. They either belong in the >same catagory as passenger vehicles, or in their own catagory. >Reducing the utility value of light trucks, will only force users to >heavier vehicles. >How long will it be, before I have to use a Peterbilt to take my boat >to the lake? That would be somewhat like using a sledge hammer to >drive thumbtacks. > > > > Sen. Kerry said raising the fuel standard as called for under the > > Democratic plan would save 2.6 million barrels of gasoline a day by > > 2020. >Or increase the use because we are forced to use a one-ton truck to >pull our fishing boats and snowmobile trailers. > > >Motie Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Please do NOT send "unsubscribe" messages to the list address. To unsubscribe, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
