(Posted by John.)
…along with a whole host of regulatory tools: the fuel efficiency benefits of hybrid cars are disappearing with the introduction of heavier, higher-performance cars. The exact same trend that’s been operating for the past 30 years: engines get more efficient, but the efficiency is used to get bigger cars accelerating more briskly, not to push the same weight a longer distance.
There’s really no way around this one. Technology, consumer demand, even price increases won’t necessarily suffice to lower America’s oil consumption. If this is something we want to see happen, we’re going to have to bite the bullet and concede that the market can’t do everything.
