THE GOV VOTES 35 MPG FOR CARS AND SUVS!!!

this doesnt seem possible with today's technology, but i guess there will be a lot of money dumped into the research. Im all for it.

As for whether or not we should research how to get cheaper oil...i think there is more emphasis on reducing emmisions instead of oil consumption.

Some things that can be used to help:

1. Off-road gear. Land Rover, Jeep, Porsche, etc. don't understand that not everyone goes off-roading! Take the Range Rover Sport, for example. It weighs only 200lbs less than the "real" Range Rover, isn't as nice on the inside, is roughly the same in terms of speed/acceleration and handling, and gets exactly 1mpg better- but that's only on the highway. Not only that, but the real RR goes much farther on a tank of gas because its tank is so much larger! So why do they call it the "Sport," then? Its looks?

My idea: delete all of the off-roading technology from the RR Sport, if not every vehicle in their lineup. At least- make it optional. They may not garner as many sales of vehicles with off-road packs vs. vehicles without them, but that not only improves handling and speed, but it makes the trucks much better for the environment! Weighing about 1,000lbs less, it's conceivably a 5mpg improvement!

That also applies to Jeep, Lexus, Porsche, etc.

2. My other idea is to develop more efficient, less torque-heavy engines. This relates to the above: not everyone needs their truck to pull 8,000lb trailers. Make the towing engine OPTIONAL. Take the LX570, for example. It's made for this stuff. How about making the standard car sans the off-roading equipment and with the LS460's engine? That would make it lighter, faster and more efficient!

Actually, they could even make the LX standard with the GS350's engine, or even the GS450h's. Nobody cares about going 150mph in those ultra-luxe utes.

Lexus could easily offer small engines, GS250, LS350 would sell well.

Hybrid Bio-Diesel, even better.

They are Democrats, the laws of physics don't apply to them. As long as they can ride around in their government paid for Suburbans and fly around in government paid for jets, do you think that they care if you have to drive around in a go cart?

As for hybrid, as an engineer I see no way the energy cost to build and run a hybrid is going to be a net positive over the lifetime of the car. Now that the mileage claims have crashed to earth, the advantage is all but gone. A simple light car or small diesel will get the same or better mileage without the energy cost of having to build all the battery and extra motor parts.

As for alcohol, give me a break. The stuff gets 20% less mileage and costs far more energy to produce and deliver than it returns. E-85 cannot be transported by pipeline, but must be trucked and then mixed at the delivery point. And what about the price of food, I guess no one cares about the land needed to grow the fuel crops. The water required, where is that all coming from? This is as big of a hoax as globull warming.

What's the business owner going to do that requires a heavy truck for work? Needs to transport job site materials or other large heavy things.

But people are gullible that's what Democrats count on.

"Now that the mileage claims have crashed to earth"

What kind of engineer are you?

...A pretty protoypical engineer, deary.

Oh wait, you probably meant in specific. Now, that is a prototypical engineer for you.

Hmm...a doomsday report but most likely a driving force behind bills like this. Apparently, there are still people who would rather wait until we run out of oil before we react and they are the ones continuing to offer the problems instead of the solutions. I 100% agree with S4cabrio's comment. Land Rovers products in America could be easily sold without a large majority of the offroad equipment. Honestly, the last thing I think of when putting down $80 grand on the Range Rover is what jungle i can drive it through. The same goes for the LX which i cant even imagine the number of people in America that take that offroad.
Regardless, its a great starting point that offers a solution instead of an additional problem.
I also don't see E-85 or a hybrid as THE solution but combined with several other "trial and error" methods, i'm confident that these are great stepping stones that will lead to better and more efficient technological developments. I think of this bill more as a push for companies to do their research and to put these new products on the market. Even Dubai is said to be building at such a rapid pace and trying to become a top resort spot (rivaling DisneyLand in some aspects) because it knows that its oil production is not infinite.

Who needs this SUV Cars? In first time the farmer. Now every people to drive to the food market. Why? I drive often my small car, it`s a Rover 25 Diesel. I don`t need and like "Hybrid-Cars", but I like e-scooter, e-rollers, bikes and cars. Produce near me. 35 mls/gallone is 6,72 ltr./100km. A BMW X5 Diesel or Jeep Diesel doesn`t need more Diesel Fuel. I cant`t find a problem for seriouse SUV for the next time.

"a victory for american public" yeah right, what a load of crap. It is reducing my rights to choose what vehicle I will want, and what vehicles auto manufactures will bring into the US. This Senate and Congress suck, they have no clue what the American people want.

Haha...Cynical but I actually think that is the greatest idea to date.

my right to drive a '67 camaro and enjoy it doesn't infringe on anyone elses rights, my daily driver is a 4 cy Camry, for 98% of my driving i use a car that gets on average 31 mpg, but that doesn't even fall under this new ruling, if we want to be able to enjoy the Z06's of the future, then the government can not regulate how many mpg's a fleet must average, because it takes a lot of 60 mpgs car to balance a bunch of 15 mpgs...just because one doesn't agree with mpg regulations doesn't make me spoiled, i'm all for us figuring out a way to be more fuel efficient, just don't create stupid mpg requirements, FREEDOM of choice.

"If you legislate it, it will happen" is the approach that congress is taking. The sad thing is, they had an opportunity here to promote a reasonable agenda, but they let the tree huggers run the show, and now we get to revist 1974 all over again. Get ready because the next target will be the speed limit again. They pushed through the double nickle based upon fuel economy arguments once before, and they will try to do it again. I myself have two fuel efficient vehicles right now, but that doesn't mean I don't lust after a Corvette Z06, you know once the kids are through college and I win the lottery :). The real problem here is the folks who park their Excursion at the mall, leave the dog inside and leave the monster running so the dog can be in the air conditioning. It is people like that that are brining about this kind of legislation.

well in tht case, scrap E85, but tht wont make the air cleaner, oh well, gotta wait for the diesel accord!

i hope they bring the 535d w/ the sport pkg.

The 535d averages 34 US mpg on the European cycle and does 0-60 in 6.2 seconds...and costs less than the GS450h, which on the European cycle, only gets 28 US mpg, so its MPG is beaten by the new 520d, 523i, 525i/d, 530i/d, and 535d.

Well...less.
22.5 for the new 550i.

BTW I should add these are all models with efficient dynamics, not the older models.

RR Sport just needs to be a lot lighter to really be nimble and sporty like the name implies. Don't know why, but newer models of cars in general keep getting heavier and heavier, they have the technology to make them lighter, I think weight is one of the major factors that affects fuel consumption. Lighter cars can operate with smaller engines and the less load they need to pull then the more gas they save.

also advancements in engine technology will help in fuel economy too.

Ford Ranger with a 2.5 diesel, Nissan Navara (don't know what it's called in the US, based off Pathfinder) with a 2.5 diesel, or even things like Land Rover Freelanders with 2.2 diesels and X3s with 2.0d diesels.
Americans aren't sold smaller engines, because American car makers can't make good ones ie Chrysler Sebring's 2.4 is terrible.