New vehicles must average 40 mpg by 2026, up from 28 mpg

[Ninurta]

I know I should look it up but I am being lazy.

Is that number a fleet average? Or ALL individual vehicles? Big difference. 

We have a lot of cars these days that can get great mileage. Not many want to drive them though. I use my pickup truck weekly for what it was designed for. A little, plastic car with no carrying capacity will not cut it for me. 

Another question: how much carbon is emitted charging an EV? Somewhere coal or gas is being burned to make the electricity. Shouldn't that be the criteria here is we are concerned about the climate and all? MPG is meaningless in that context. A fossil fuel vehicle and an EV should be compared to the same standard. 

Unless society shaping is the main goal. Then we don't need to bother with a fair comparison. We can conveniently claim "it's about the science" all day but never have to demonstrate it.

Our car will turn 11 years old on it's birthday this year, and it books at 37 MPG already, although it really only gets somewhere between 33 and 35 MPG. In our old age, it's really all we need - we only need an occasional trip into civilization to get supplies or go to a doctor appointment. A couple years ago, when I was still working, we had a 2000 Jeep Cherokee Sport, because I worked on top of a mountain that got pretty treacherous in the winter. That beast only got around 18 MPG, but she would climb trees if I wanted her to.

So, at least 10 years ago they were approaching 40 MPG in some vehicles already, but as you point out, when needs and demand on the vehicle increase, gas mileage invariably decreases.

I'm not buying one of their stupid buggy 'lectric cars, because if I run out of juice on the highway, I don't know what kind of bucket to take with me to bring back a couple gallons of 'lectricity in.

I'll get a horse instead. Fuel for them grows on trees.

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