All Entries Tagged With: "fuel economy"
2014 Tundra – Are Skinny Tires, a Higher MSRP, and Thin Plastic Panels Our Automotive Future?
Regardless of your political leanings or environmental beliefs, we can all agree that government regulations are often imperfect. The newest CAFE regulations – which mandate a dramatic improvement in new vehicle fuel economy ratings over the next 12 years – are a great example.
Regulators, in an effort to:
- reduce national oil consumption (a good thing considering most of our oil comes from foreign countries), and
- reduce air pollution (also a good thing, at least if you like to breathe as much as I do)
have created a system that is forcing automakers to use every trick in their bag to try and meet this fuel economy mandate. While some of these tricks are admittedly awesome (direct injection, variable valve lift, stop-start systems), other tricks are less desirable…which brings me to skinny tires, thin plastic panels, and the 2014 Tundra.
U.S. Finalizes Higher 2025 Fuel Economy Standards
It’s official now, the Obama Administration has announced that the 2025 54.5 mpg fuel economy standards are now finalized. Which side of the debate are you on?
The Obama Administration has finalized its 2025 fuel economy standards to much debate. Which side of the debate are you on?
Gas Subsidy Ends Could Cause Fuel Prices To Rise
Fuel efficiency and the cost of filling up the tank in E85 vehicles has been a topic of discussion for a while now and it seems that it may get more expensive to drive them. There’s a chance that price of gas is going to be higher at the pump due to the U.S. government ending the 30-year subsidies they have on ethanol.
This sign may not be that far off with current gas subsidies coming to an end.
GM Says No Magnesium Alloy Truck Frames – At Least Not Yet
As fuel economy regulations force automakers to tighten their belts, manufacturers are looking to pull a few different “levers” to improve efficiency. Those levers are drivetrain efficiency, aerodynamics, friction losses, and weight.
An Automotive News report all but says GM won't be producing lightweight truck frames made from magnesium alloy
General Motors, seeking to make their truck as fuel efficient as possible, researched the possibility of a Magnesium alloy truck frame. However, according to a recent tidbit in Automotive News, those plans are dead…at least for now.
Prius vs Corolla – Which Makes More Economic Sense?
A frequent commenter here on TundraHeadquarters.com (shout out to mk) posited an interesting thought: It makes more economic sense to buy a new Toyota Corolla than it does to buy a new Prius, because it would take years of driving and gas savings to recover the cost difference between the two.
Said another way, the $5500 price difference between the Prius and the Corolla buys a lot of gas. Right?
While I was completely inclined to agree with this idea, I decided it might be fun to run the numbers. Here’s how I broke things down.
