Due to the sharp increase in the price of gas, car companies are now being urged to provide cars that are more efficient. Consumers today are less concerned with the size and power of their vehicles, instead they are demanding better gas mileage. The Obama administration is requiring all new cars to have more efficient miles per gallon by the year 2025. Currently companies are required to produce cars with at least 27 mpg. By 2025 Obama hopes cars will have a minimum of 54.5 mpg. There are many ways the auto industry is making more efficient cars, using lighter materials and getting more power from engines. Many past models of car used steel in the body, newer models use aluminum and carbon fiber to greatly cut down the overall weight of the car. So far these lightweight cars do not seem to be any less safe than their steel counterparts. Due to these advances the average price of cars has risen, this means that efficient car makers are being rewarded for their efforts. Overall improvements made in efficient car manufacturing have benefited both the consumer and the producers, generating more income for car companies and saving drivers money at the pump.
Americans are fed up with paying too much at the pump
Sources:
- http://www.usnews.com/news/blogs/rick-newman/2012/08/27/tough-government-gas-mileage-rules-good-for-drivers-auto-industry
- http://eenews.net/public/climatewire/2012/09/27/2
- http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/29/business/carmakers-back-strict-new-rules-for-gas-mileage.html?pagewanted=all
Do you believe that turbo chargers would be an effective way of conserving gas mileage?
yes good point, although I didn’t touch on it in my post turbo chargers allow smaller engines to get more power by using less gas. By pumping more oxygen into the engine the gas burns more efficiently. This practice is becoming increasingly popular as companies struggle to make cars more efficient.