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Comment by mywittyname | Hacker News Reader

The USA has done itself an enormous disservice by allowing gas prices to remain so cheap. The entire economy builds itself up around the assumption of low fuel prices, then are flabbergasted when, yet again, fuel prices skyrocket.

The country has made great progress in terms of fuel economy. But the most popular vehicles sold in the USA (full sized pickups) still get like 18MPG. The majority of efficiency gains go into making them larger and more powerful, because there's no economic incentives to make trucks with the size and capability of 90s era trucks, but with double+ the fuel economy. Ford was at least able to be forward-looking and release the Maverick, a small hybrid pickup, at exactly the right time.

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We have a very short collective memory. While fuel prices have been quite low over the last ~3-5 years, most people forgot the period between 2008-2014 where fuel was (relatively) expensive and went on right back to buying fuel inefficient SUVs and large trucks. Only TWO of the best selling vehicles in the US in 2021 were anything other than an SUV or pickup (Toyota Camry & Honda Civic). Now all of a sudden fuel is expensive again and people are being reminded of how expensive it can be to lug around a single person in a half-ton pickup every day.

> We have a very short collective memory. While fuel prices have been quite low over the last ~3-5 years, most people forgot the period between 2008-2014 where fuel was (relatively) expensive and went on right back to buying fuel inefficient SUVs and large trucks.

Which is perfectly rational. Why drive a car you don't want out of fear that gas prices may someday go up?

The real solution is crank gas taxes up so high that the little people are forced to buy little cars or take the bus, like we think they ought to be doing.

A less extreme option might be to stop giving larger vehicles a break on fuel economy standards. If car makers don't have to meet as strict a standard as long as the average car they sell is big, it's not hard to guess what kind of cars they'll try their best to sell.

>Which is perfectly rational. Why drive a car you don't want out of fear that gas prices may someday go up?

You don't have to buy a fuel efficient car today for an eventuality that may never happen, but you definitely don't have a leg to stand on when fuel gets more expensive and it suddenly costs you 10x more per month in fuel -- that's on (hypothetical) you.

This. Both sides of the political spectrum are somewhat correct in their "arguments", but for the wrong reasons. Gas and water (re: the water issues rampant throughout the southwest USA) are two heavily subsidized utilities that the public hasn't been able to either a) feel the impact of, nor b) understand the true extend of the subsidization. Thus when supply-side issues overwhelm the subsidies, they are mad.

The light duty truck drama continues. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicken_tax

How much of this was a consequence of having separate categories of fuel efficiency regulations for "passenger cars" vs "light duty trucks" (including pickups and SUVs) incentivizing a growth in market share for the latter?

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