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Modern cars weigh a lot more due to safety features like crumple zones and better protection around the cabin. We could probably get that 100mpg car if we aggr
by scheme271 3y ago
Modern cars weigh a lot more due to safety features like crumple zones and better protection around the cabin. We could probably get that 100mpg car if we aggressively dropped all the safety features but then we'd go back to the fatality rates of 1976.
- j-wags 3y agoI strongly suspect that we could make equally protective, lighter weight crumple zones if we were designing for collisions with lighter weight cars. Excessive cabin protection is largely needed because bumpers on light trucks are at head level for passengers in normal cars. Weight is a safety factor independent of crumple zones and cabin protection because in a crash m1a1=m2a2, and you don't want to get caught with the smaller m. I'm concerned that we're currently cranking out a generation of uniquely heavy and dangerous vehicles which future vehicles will have to share the road with for decades, perpetuating these dangerous design factors. If we designed a new 5-seat sedan that could easily reach 90 mph, but which only needed to share the road with other copies of itself, I bet we could do it in 1000 pounds and it would be far safer.
- coredog64 3y agoFrontal impact testing only tests for a collision with a similar sized vehicle. I’m not aware of any testing standard that applies to how a vehicle does with an outsized collision “partner” (e.g. Mini vs. F-150)