Yeah a continuous problem with 'markets' and 'market based solutions' are negative externalities. If a cost isn't felt directly by the purchaser it takes a lot of social pressure to make up for that and dissuade the person from buying it.
But yeah, this is what happens when gas prices fall. I drive a small car personally but the difference between 30-40 mpg for a small gas car vs 20-30 for a SUV just isn’t very significant in terms of $$ spent on gas.
It probably would have made sense to start gradually increasing the gas tax a few years ago to make fuel efficiency still worth it - on the other hand, when France increased their fuel tax they had riots.
The trick would have been to adjust the gas tax as the crude prices fell to keep the overall fall relatively modest. But of course that boat has sailed.
I have a strong feeling this will "fix itself" like it's currently doing for smaller cars as electric SUVs become more practical and affordable. Right now the electric-automotive industry leans heavily toward smaller cars, which means for those of us who have practical reasons to prefer an SUV (I'd like to be able to comfortably haul passengers and comfortably haul cargo without having to own/maintain/park two separate vehicles) there are fewer options.
An alternative path would be to convert existing SUVs to electric powertrains. I'm at least mildly considering doing so for my SUV (and will probably do so in the event its engine kicks the bucket), even if the automatic transmission makes that less-than-ideal (most electric conversions stick with manual transmissions; no need to shift out of 2nd gear).
You have to really consider that in a country like the UK, a lot of people exist that aren't in poverty. I imagine the same is true globally.
People don't respond very elastically to small percentage differences in price for something they want unless they're at the margin.
They don't buy the literal cheapest thing available - they buy the thing they want. Zero hour workers might run on Tesco Value digestive biscuits, basic pasta, fruit and veg, etc, but there are tens of millions not in that situation.
If you have your basic needs taken care of and a buffer above that, then an SUV using 25% more fuel or whatever just doesn't really matter from a cost perspective.
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[ 1.5 ms ] story [ 50.8 ms ] threadIf somebody still believes in a technological free market based solution to the climate crisis - keep dreaming.
But yeah, this is what happens when gas prices fall. I drive a small car personally but the difference between 30-40 mpg for a small gas car vs 20-30 for a SUV just isn’t very significant in terms of $$ spent on gas.
It probably would have made sense to start gradually increasing the gas tax a few years ago to make fuel efficiency still worth it - on the other hand, when France increased their fuel tax they had riots.
i'm not sure what i'm adding to this convo...i'm just complaining about the hyundai maxima really...
Do they change laws of physics? Otherwise larger mass still requires larger amounts of energy...
They matter.
An alternative path would be to convert existing SUVs to electric powertrains. I'm at least mildly considering doing so for my SUV (and will probably do so in the event its engine kicks the bucket), even if the automatic transmission makes that less-than-ideal (most electric conversions stick with manual transmissions; no need to shift out of 2nd gear).
People don't respond very elastically to small percentage differences in price for something they want unless they're at the margin.
They don't buy the literal cheapest thing available - they buy the thing they want. Zero hour workers might run on Tesco Value digestive biscuits, basic pasta, fruit and veg, etc, but there are tens of millions not in that situation.
If you have your basic needs taken care of and a buffer above that, then an SUV using 25% more fuel or whatever just doesn't really matter from a cost perspective.
https://www.gov.uk/vehicle-tax-rate-tables
Want a 250g/km vehicle? Just pay 2 grand a year. Eminently affordable for like, the second most expensive thing most people buy.
If you want this sort of thing to reduce, you need to price it at a level that fewer people can afford to pay.