Fuel prices, oversized cars and Schadenfreude

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Sometimes it's still quite shocking to me when I notice older generations of full-size trucks are smaller than a modern mid-size (which Americans may still be used to classify as a compact). This 43y.o. F-100 may not look or feel oversized compared to a brand-new Ranger for instance...

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

A seemingly desperate attempt to improve fuel-efficiency was the fitment of smaller engines into large vehicles, in a time when people tended to see the amount of cylinders as inherently tied to fuel-efficiency. For instance, in Brazil Ford went as far as offering the 4-cyl 2.3L OHC Lima engine to a local version of the F-100.

[paniwew]

It’s always interesting to see how different regions react to fuel prices. In Europe, high costs have made efficient cars, public transport, and motorcycles the norm, whereas in the U.S., trucks and SUVs are still king. A price hike definitely hits harder when your daily driver gets 15 MPG. Long-term, though, shifting to more efficient transport seems inevitable.

[Piotrsko]

15 mpg would be an econo car. Neighbors RAM pickup gets 10. Current Reno fuel.prices are $1.15 @ liter

In Europe, there is cheap publicly available transportation that gets you generally within a kilometer of your destination if not actually stopping at the doorstep. At least in the ten or so countries I have visited.

Here in Reno, in one of the older more established neighborhood, the closest bus stop with an even numbered only hourly pickup is 1.5 kilometers. I recall Los Angeles required me to walk to the nearest 4 lane street at either end. Both communities declare traffic numbers do not justify better service.

[freebeard]

Both communities declare traffic numbers do not justify better service.

vs

General Motors streetcar conspiracy
Illegal monopolies by GM and others in the 1940s
The General Motors streetcar conspiracy refers to the convictions of General Motors and related companies that were involved in the monopolizing of the sale of buses and supplies to National City Lines and subsidiaries, as well as to the allegations that the defendants conspired to own or control transit systems, in violation of Section 1 of the Sherman Antitrust Act. Wikipedia

[Piotrsko]

That or a mechanically similar one has been given in the many cities that I have visited which once had city transport, but now rely on personal vehicle transport. Did not know Goodyear tire and rubber was that pervasive.

Figure a number bigger than 20 municipalities, you're talking about very large sums of cash or financing which might be physically impossible for the times. Afaik, they ripped out the LA red lines just before I was born, but post war.

[freebeard]

Oregon's Interurban History: Found Largely To The Northwest

Oregon contained a rather substantial network of interurban and streetcar systems, most of which were located in the Willamette Valley. As Drs. George Hilton and John Due note in their book, "The Electric Interurban Railways In America," the state boasted 432 miles of interurbans.

Most of this was operated by the Oregon Electric Railway; its main line stretched 110 miles from Portland to Eugene and operated a total of 190 miles. There was also the Portland Traction, Willamette Valley Southern Railway, United Railways, Southern Oregon Traction Company, and even an electrified branch maintained by the Southern Pacific which acted as an interurban.

Electric interurbans ran on both sides of the Willamette River. One was two miles (walking distance) from where I grew up, 20 years prior.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by paniwew

In Europe, high costs have made efficient cars, public transport, and motorcycles the norm, whereas in the U.S., trucks and SUVs are still king.

Meanwhile in Brazil, even though trucks and SUVs tend to be smaller than their American counterparts (mostly due to the lower GVWR limits for a car driving license holder) and most often Diesel-powered (depending on the payload and driveline, as vehicles with a payload lower than one metric ton and 2WD are not allowed to have a Diesel engine), small cars have been the norm for a long time, and motorcycles are also widespread. Public transport could be better, and due to a tight budget many people who weren't properly served by public transport switched to motorcycles.

[redpoint5]

Originally Posted by cRiPpLe_rOoStEr

Meanwhile in Brazil, even though trucks and SUVs tend to be smaller than their American counterparts (mostly due to the lower GVWR limits for a car driving license holder) and most often Diesel-powered (depending on the payload and driveline, as vehicles with a payload lower than one metric ton and 2WD are not allowed to have a Diesel engine), small cars have been the norm for a long time, and motorcycles are also widespread. Public transport could be better, and due to a tight budget many people who weren't properly served by public transport switched to motorcycles.

Vehicle size is in proportion to wealth and local energy costs.

We expect Brazil to have smaller vehicles due to lower average wealth. In Africa, most people get around with their Chevrolegs.

Public transport is always a joke, because it's inefficient due to being a government project, and inefficient because transporting people from where they don't live, to not quite where they need to be, is inefficient.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by redpoint5

Vehicle size is in proportion to wealth and local energy costs.

Had such rule-of-thumb been so strict, those Indian tricycles which have their fair share of popularity in neighboring countries such as Colombia and Bolivia would be somewhat popular here too.

We expect Brazil to have smaller vehicles due to lower average wealth.

Taxation, and safety regulations which are often accounted for the size increase of newer cars, also play a role.