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Friday, June 15, 2007

We Can Build Them. We Have the Technology. Safer. Lighter. More Fuel Efficient.

With Congress set to examine corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) reform this summer, the debate over vehicle fuel efficiency stringency is heating up.

Because the CAFE standard has not been strengthened since its inception over three decades ago, you would think the country would be able to get behind a stricter standard. Considering technological improvements and the gathering threat of global climate change, America would be foolish to operate with such an antiquated standard.

If you thought that, you'd be wrong. One of the biggest arguments CAFE-haters trot out is that fuel economy standards encourage automakers to produce lighter vehicles which are in turn less safe which leads to a higher rate of vehicle-crash fatalities. (For example, see this bit of nonsense from the Competitive Enterprise Institute.)

Now, a study by the International Council on Clean Transportation has fully debunked that myth. According to a press release:

The authors conclude that existing technology options can improve light-duty vehicle fuel economy by up to 50 percent over the next 10 years without reducing the weight or size of vehicles. Any extra cost associated with the auto-manufacturing changes would be more than offset by savings generated by more fuel-efficient vehicles.

The bottom line: we can achieve better fuel efficiency without sacrificing safety. According to the study, "There are a wide variety of technologies and approaches available to advance vehicle fuel economy that have no effect on vehicle safety."