Can America(ns) change?

NPR's All things Considered discusses Americans century-old love affair with their cars.

Americans drive bigger cars than any other country. And, even if they're currently trendy, fuel-efficient cars still don't sell as well in the United States as elsewhere. Can America change?

I say...yes, why not? Its all about mindset - change to lifestyles and attitudes will come automatically after that. Yes...there are many oil-friendly powers that be that would like to keep the status quo going. But I believe in the power of information and if Al Gore's movie is any indication, it shows that what may be thought to be a kooky fringe movement can snowball into a nation-wide movement. And if the people say they do not want the gas guzzlers, believe me... the car companies will deliver. For instance, we have seen how, after initially debunking Honda's and Toyota's foray into the hybrid market, the Big 3 have now woken up to hybrid cars; athough asking the US tax-payer to fund research on hybrid cars to help them catch up with the Japanese simply does not cut it!

Meanwhile, sales of hybrid cars continue to hit record highs with the "once frumpy cars" now showing some verve. Though Honda was the first to introduce hybrids in the US with its Honda Insight in 1999, today, Toyota has driven to the top and has the indisputable champ in its Prius models, with Honda trying hard to catch up.

That said, fuel-efficient cars* are not the only way to change. For far too long we have been led into this habit of thinking that conservation is only a virtue, not a necessity. We need to use resources not only efficiently but also intelligently. Slowing down the rate at which we guzzle them is one mark of intelligence, in my mind. For example: hybrid SUVs, which is where the Big 3 have focused their efforts, makes as much sense to me as a 7500 sq. ft. EnergyStar home for two or the whole ridicculous concept of carbon offsetting, which has rightly been decried as a "papal indulgence that allows consumers to ease their conscience for a pittance without actually changing their behavior." Note that I do understand that this is the only way perhaps that makes sense to Detroit from a business standpoint because a large majority of their sales comes through minivans and SUVs, thanks in no part to their decision in the 80s to counter the Japanese taking over the sedan market by introducing these gas-guzzling monstrosities.


* See my earlier posts on the subject of fuel-efficient cars: 1, 2. And this post about hydrogen as fuel.

Also read these articles:
'Green' concept cars of 2007
Extreme 'green' cars of the future

Disclaimer: I rarely preach but have decided to do so on this topic. And if you are wondering what I drive... its a VW Passat we bought in 2002. Whenever I get rid of it, I will be buying a hybrid. We have always driven manual cars which gave us > 30 mpg on the highways. The stop-n-go city driving these days in Boston is highly frustrating not only because of the agony of driving that way but also due to the lower mileage attained. That is one reason why we always avoid driving when we can walk (as I do to work and also often to the public library, the bank, etc.: anything within a mile - 20 minutes of walking - is very do-able, even in Boston winters.) And if you don't like walking, try a bike. Its healthy and efficient and not as time consuming as walking! Like I said above, changes in lifestyles are as important as driving more efficient cars.