Have you noticed that it's getting more and more rare to find full sized tires in the newer car, and that instead you find more and more of those little "donuts"? Well, even those donuts may soon become a thing of the past. No, it's not because of some big improvement in tire technology, it's because of small improvements in fuel mileage.
If you've ever had to change a tire, you know that they are kind of heavy. To meet average fuel economy standards, which are rising, automakers are having to get rid of weight where ever they can. "But Raven, the car industry is just being greedy! It's just that a bunch of smug Republicans want to drive around in Hummers when hybrid cars are a perfectly acceptable alternative!"
Well, hybrid cars aren't bad... but, their eco-friendliness is overstated. For one thing, their manufacture takes a lot more energy, and their batteries are especially bad. Extremely toxic... I've heard, but am having difficulty confirming that the battery manufacturing process is so toxic that it's not even allowed on US soil. And while many are saying that hybrid car batteries will last longer than regular car batteries (why?), they are much more expensive to replace. "How expensive?" seems to be a question that many smug hippies who support hybrid technology are trying to evade by pointing out the batteries' longer life expectancy. Again, consider how dirty the battery manufacturing process is, recycling or no.
Another thing also often overlooked is that it's not often one gets the mileage advertised on a sticker. It's not false advertising, they are testing the mileage as they have been told to do so by the government. That's not to say that auto manufacturers are always honest. But a hybrid's usefulness is on congested city streets. Lots of stop and go traffic. On the highway where more horsepower is needed, it goes over to gas. If that's your primary driving situation and you want a hybrid, great. But, regular gasoline engines really aren't as far behind as many think.
But, let's get back to the main subject, huh? Is it just because of looking good on a sticker that the auto industry is doing away with spare tires? No. Personally, I'd happily take the extra weight and fuel cost of a full sized spare tire and its equipment over not having one at all. It's because of what the average mileage has to be.
I'm all for saving the environment. I am not one of those global warming deniers. However, at what cost? Jobs? Safety? If we really want to help the environment, why not hold China and other nations to the same standards as we hold to on being environmentally friendly? It would cost much less to bring them up to our standards than it would be to keep our standards moving up at the rate they are. There would also be much more in the way of immediate and long term benefits to the environment worldwide. Comparatively speaking, we are the obsessive-compulsive fussy house cleaners while China is the lazy redneck neighbor with leaking cars on cement blocks in their front yard.
I leave you with a video of car battery recycling for your viewing enjoyment:
Oh, and more obligatory pandering for a black Dodge Challenger
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