Some research will find:
Cars today are HEAVIER than back in the 60s and 70s. So govt. fuel economy rules did NOT result in lighter vehicles.
Cars today have more power than back in the 60s and 70s.
Cars today are far safer than back in the 60s and 70s. Most of the safety features were NOT govt. mandated, like ABS, disc brakes,
Cars today pollute much less than back in the 60s and 70s.
Cars today get better gas mileage than back in the 60s and 70s.
These results have been due to some government regulation and to a free market.
I believe the future will be similar. My preference for my future vehicle is a high end turbo-diesel station wagon. Maybe soon in the US.
Turbo diesel alone gives substantial improvements in fuel economy. That is why 50% of new vehicles sales in Europe are now diesels. Where gas is over $6.00 per gallon.
Oh sure, you just had to go sticking a bunch of facts up in the middle of a nice witch hunt.
Point me to where you find cars today are heavier than they were in the 1960s and 1970s. You can punch your car door today and dent it. Those 1960s and 70s cars had thicker steel (before rusting out of course).
I can’t believe this is totally true because it’s been argued in prior threads that one of the ways you get better fuel economy is less weight. With smaller 4 and 6 cylinder engines that are common today, even with computer fuel injection, the car has to be lighter.
A VW 50 mpg clean diesel Jetta may arrive stateside in a few months:
http://www.popularmechanics.com/blogs/automotive_news/4235586.html
Biodiesel is probably worth pursuing. Ethanol is a scam that has the sole purpose of transferring money from taxpayers to the politically connected.
If I lived in the city, and needed a car mainly to get to work, and to drive solely in the city, I would be looking to get the smallest vehicle I could.
Not for better gas mileage, but because a smaller car is infinitely easier to maneuver on city streets than a bigger vehicle.
Parking spaces, making right or left turns, turning around.
All things which are waaay easier with a small car.
...and in Europe, diesel is not taxed as high as gasoline, making it cheaper per gallon. We don't have that arrangement in the US because liberals have already raised fuel taxes on diesels to "punish" those evil trucks out there.
Therefore, any benefit we might get from diesel technology will be offset by the costs of the fuel.