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MichaelBluejay

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SUVs + trucks are a huge problem, electric versions are even worse

Executive summary of the article in the Atlantic

• Loophole lets automakers avoid fuel economy standards for SUVs + pickup trucks.  So they pushed those and now they're 4 out of 5 new vehicles sold.

• They're getting bigger.  Weight of SUVS + trucks increased 7% and 32% respectively from 1990 to 2021.  The 2023 Ford F-150 with a gas engine is 7" taller and 800 pounds heavier than the 1991 model.  Electric versions are even worse.  The electric Chevrolet Silverado EV, at 8000 lbs., is 3000 lbs heavier than the gas model.

• The growing popularity of SUVs and trucks is linked to the surging number of pedestrian deaths.  One reason is that the height expands the blind spots.  "In a segment this summer, a Washington, D.C., television news channel sat nine children in a line in front of an SUV; the driver could see none of them, because nothing within 16 feet of the front of the vehicle was visible to her."

• "Few car shoppers seem to care. For decades, Americans have shown little inclination to consider how their vehicle affects the safety of pedestrians, cyclists, or other motorists. (The federal government seems similarly uninterested; the national crash-test-ratings program evaluates only the risk to a car’s occupants.)"

• "At the risk of stating the obvious, such blistering acceleration serves no practical purpose on a public road, where it can jeopardize everyone’s safety. "

• "Worse yet, enormous EVs are compounding the global shortage of essential battery minerals such as cobalt, lithium, and nickel. That Hummer EV’s battery weighs as much as a Honda Civic, consuming precious material that could otherwise be used to build several electric-sedan batteries—or a few hundred e-bike batteries. One recent study found that electrifying SUVs could actually increase emissions by restricting the batteries available for smaller electric cars."

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archi … ty/672576/