I heard some politician on the radio basically turn the old "if they can put a man on the Moon, why can't they make the trains run on time" gripe on its head... and I suspect he didn't even realize he was doing it.
What he said was, paraphrased from memory, "Cars nowadays have fancy sound systems and cup holders. Why don't they get 10 MPG better gas mileage?"
Er... maybe because fancy sound systems and cup holders don't require any technological advances, whereas a dramatic increase in fuel economy, while still delivering the performance the buyer wants, at a price the buyer is willing to pay, does?
Hey, if they can make iPods in a variety of fruit colors, why don't we have antigravity?
(Yeah, I know... it is possible to make cars more fuel-efficient. I heard the abovementioned idiotic remark on my car radio... in a Prius... getting about 50 MPG. The Prius is fine for me, but a lot of people feel the need for macho acceleration, which it lacks, and even at current prices the fuel savings won't make up for the price premium compared to a Corolla, over the expected life of the vehicle.)
Comments