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Old 08-16-2008, 03:48 PM   #7 (permalink)
SuperTrooper
Master EcoModder
 
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Auburn, NH
Posts: 451

Wicked Wanda - '99 VW Beetle GLS
90 day: 29.59 mpg (US)

Green Monster - '99 Ford Explorer Sport
90 day: 16.73 mpg (US)

Dad's Taxi - '99 Honda Odyssey EX
90 day: 24.23 mpg (US)
Thanks: 0
Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts
The biggest difference between the US and Europe (and Canada) has been the amount of taxes used to artificially raise the price of fuel. European goverments use the money generated by fuel taxes to subsidize the public transportation systems. Euros only drive when they HAVE to. Fuel costs make rail travel an affordable alternative when going just about anywhere.

4 years ago we were part of a 3-way vacation house swap. We went to St. Martin, they went to Paris, and the Pariseans came to NH. They came a day early and I picked them up at the airport and helped them familiarize themselves with the house and the area. Artimus was truly overwhelmed with the size of my Honda Odyssey. He was stunned that it had almost 100K miles. He said that he'd been driving for 23 years and doubted that he had driven more than 100K km in that entire time even though he has always owned a car. The though of having to drive EVERYWHERE truly intimidated him, though they did manage to rack up almost 2K miles in the 2 weeks.

It's a different mindset.

The rest of the world should be thankful for this little upward blip in fuel prices, because it will be American consumers' demand for new fuel efficient technologies that has ultimately turned up the heat on the automakers to deliver. It is America that truly NEEDS the new technologies to come to market because automobiles ARE our critical primary transportation system. I doubt that's going to change in the next 100 years.
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