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18 comments on Science and Technology Energy and Environment Subcommittee Action Today

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Spaceman on June 21, 2007 - 10:18pm Permalink | Subthread | Comments top

Looks like CAFE will see some sort of rise.
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070621/BUSINESS01/7062...
If the truck numbers stay as they are the pick up truck will be going the way of the dodo.
Automakers already are having fits trying to implement Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards for 2010.
They all add weight.

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oilmanbob on June 21, 2007 - 10:44pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

Spaceman,

My son's Toyota Tacoma pick-up gets 30 MPG highway at 62 MPH and 27 city with a 6 cylinder engine. These are his actual calculations. So, the new standards are acheivable.

George W. Bush wants 35 MPG by 2017, this bill wants it by 2020. The quicker the better!

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Spaceman on June 21, 2007 - 11:11pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

Thats great. I had a S-10 with a 5 speed manual and a 4 cyl and the best I got was 25mpg. Must've been that optional rear bumper;-)
Still by 2010 the game changes with lots of added side impact protection.
So you have the gubbermint saying on one hand "protect at all costs or no 5* rating" and on the other "35mpg by 2020"
Its all about weight and what you'll end up with won't be recognizable as a truck.
Don't get me wrong, nothing pisses me off more than to see a Dodge Ram 10cyl(w/racing stripes!) on my bumper in the fast lane. But for those who actually need them farmers, ranchers, etc. tough luck. Auto production is platform based and "trucks" of the future will have to become carlike (think low ground clearance and low towing capability) to make those numbers.

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Boof on June 21, 2007 - 11:18pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

People who really need pickup trucks might be happy to have them painted in dirt colours with no speed stripes. I'd also like to see mud streaks (from creek crossings) on SUVs with snorkel air intakes.

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Spaceman on June 22, 2007 - 12:05am Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

Yeah, seeing a snorkel is pretty rare.
I just want to clear up something. There is a strong belief at work that the immense popularity of trucks in the 1990's stemmed from people wanting body on frame, rear wheel drive vehicles. Almost all cars at the time were front wheel drive unibody or body-frame integral. And car sales sucked. (4wheel drive was just about status, mostly).
Frames add weight and height to vehicles but make them strong.
In order to make those numbers they're talking, the frames gotta go and the vehicle must get closer to the ground for better aerodynamics. No more truck.
So when Detroit rolls out their El Camino looking pick ups its gonna be a shock. Especially when they find can't haul anything.
Good night.

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DIYer on June 22, 2007 - 9:05am Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

Here in the SW USA, that would encourage more drivers to ford the flashflood. Hmmm... it would give Darwin a better chance to work. Yeah, I think snorkels could be EROEI positive (by getting idiots off the road) heh, heh.

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sf on June 22, 2007 - 4:36pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

A large pickup won't have to make those numbers. They just have to sell enough 50mpg cars to to get the average up to 35 mpg. There are plenty of 50mpg cars in Europe. We will probably have to make safety more the responsibility of the driver, and go bact to th 55 mph speed limit.

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Spaceman on June 24, 2007 - 10:57pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

Actually pickups and suv's fit under the "light truck" category with a seperate CAFE category, I believe this legislation does away with that distinction. Which is also why all the major auto co.s have their truck programs on hold, to see what is the outcome of this legislation.

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18 comments on Science and Technology Energy and Environment Subcommittee Action Today

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