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Comment by Lance_ET_Compte | Hacker News Reader

This is exactly my feeling. Cars have gotten so huge now, erasing the fuel savings and causing the deaths of so many pedestrians and cyclists.

I would like to see the cost to register these behemoths to be commiserate with the actual cost to society.

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> erasing the fuel savings

While cars are undoubtedly heavier now than in the past, they are also in most cases the most fuel efficient they have ever been. Some of the weight is a direct result of fuel saving technologies in many cases; hybrid systems and traction batteries often weigh more than less efficient legacy ICE powertrains did.

Fuel savings are not erased, but they are eroded. With the technology we have small, lightweight gas cars could be incredibly efficient. Consumer preferences as well as safety regulations have kept fuel economy down.

Weight wouldn't improve fuel efficiency as much as some people might think, especially at highway speeds, drag is a big factor. The huge reduction in most EV range when towing arises not really from the towed mass but mainly the increased drag, as one example of this. There are loads of other good reasons cars should be lighter though.

But it would help some. Less than the weight, you would simply just need a much less powerful engine. So the model is not: "imagine a 3,500 lbs sedan if it only weight 3,200 lbs." -- the model is "imagine an 86 horsepower engine which is sufficient because the car weighs 1,500 lbs." That would be significantly more efficient.

> I would like to see the cost to register these behemoths to be commiserate with the actual cost to society.

I would like these vehicles to be sent to the landfill immediately.

>I would like these vehicles to be sent to the landfill immediately.

So you'll never have anything delivered anymore nor have a contractor be able to show up and work on anything. How will that work with your plan?

So deliveries and contractors suddenly need bigger vehicles than before?

Why bigger? Just the ones they use now, which the post I responded to suggested to junk them all. If that happened, then what?

What is a behemoth in your opinion? I drive a Camry and if I have my step daughter I am short a seat. If I have an adult friend and all my kids I am short 2 seats. If I travel and don’t even take my step daughter or another adult it is extremely cramped with any sort of baggage. The next sized up vehicle like an suv or minivan still is not that big for me. So I am just curious do you have an example of a car that you would consider a behemoth?

> What is a behemoth in your opinion? I drive a Camry

Toyota Camry 1979 – 980–1,060 kg (2,161–2,337 lb)

Toyota Camry 2024 – 1,480–1,660 kg (3,262–3,659 lb)

This is the problem: All cars are getting bigger and heavier. By a lot. But us squishy humans still have the same impact tolerances we did 40 years ago.

Anything in the BMW 7-series-size or MB S-class, which Toyota does not make, though the Lexus LS is, so that's arguable.

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