Quote:
Originally Posted by D11011101
I always find people talking about the fuel efficiency of their cars most fascinating. The average MPG gallon efficiency between 1980 and 2004 has barely changed. In 24 years of improvements in technology and our cars still get the same horrible gas mileage. The only conspiracy theory that I give any credence to is oil company control over fuel efficiency. They can't make any money if people have fuel efficient cars.
D11011101
Reference: Average Gas Mileage Relatively Flat Between 1980 and 2004 |
You need to read more than the headline of your own source. It states specifically that people were buying bigger vehicles, and waiting in traffic longer, which brought the average down. Not that the economy of the vehicles stayed flat. The technology is there, and has increased fuel economy. What was the average fuel economy of a Chevrolet 1500 truck in 1980? About 13mpg. That would mean that the increase over the last twenty-six years is about 50%. That does not seem too bad to me. Considering when you look at the vehicles produced in 1980 that are still made today (or 2006 when my truck was made), they all seem to have increased by about that same 50% in economy.