ALTERNATIVE STRATEGIES FOR REDUCING GASOLINE CONSUMPTION BY PRIVATE AUTOMOBILES

THIS PAPER IS DEVOTED TO A SURVEY OF ALTERNATIVE PUBLIC STRATEGIES AND POLICIES TO REDUCE GASOLINE CONSUMPTION BY THE PRIVATE AUTOMOBILE. THE FRAMEWORK IS TO CONSIDER STRATEGIES, WHICH CONSIST OF VARIOUS ELEMENTS DESIGNED TO HELP ACHIEVE THE GOAL, AS IMPLEMENTABLE THROUGH GOVERNMENT POLICIES WHICH INCORPORATE VARIOUS KINDS OF INCENTIVES. THE MINIMIZATION OF ADVERSE IMPACTS IS AN IMPORTANT CONSIDERATION IN EVALUATING AND CHOOSING BETWEEN STRATEGY AND POLICY OPTIONS. BROADLY SPEAKING, RELEVANT STRATEGIES MAY BE CLASSIFIED AS THOSE WHICH ARE DESIGN-RELATED, THOSE WHICH AFFECT THE MARKET FOR AUTOMOBILES, AND THOSE WHICH DIRECTLY INFLUENCE THE MARKET FOR GASOLINE. POLICY OPTIONS MAY BE DIRECTED AT PRODUCERS, AT AUTOMOBILE PURCHASERS, AT GASOLINE PURCHASERS, AND AT AUTOMOBILE TRAVELERS. ONE CONCLUSION OF THIS SURVEY IS THAT THERE ARE TWO GENERA OF STRATEGIES RELATING TO MODIFICATION IN THE AUTOMOBILE AND ITS PROPULSION SYSTEM. ONE IS TO REOPTIMIZE THE AUTOMOBILE RELATIVE TO NEW CRITERIA - FUEL ECONOMY AND ENVIRONMENTAL CLEANLINESS - RATHER THAN COMFORT, PERFORMANCE, AND LOW INITIAL COST. THE OTHER IS TO DEVELOP A TWO-VEHICLE STRATEGY: SMALL, LOW-POWERED VEHICLES FOR SLOW, SHORT TRIPS, AND LARGER VEHICLES FOR INTERCITY TRAVEL. A DISCUSSION IS THEN PRESENTED OF VARIOUS DESIGN-RELATED STRATEGIES. IN PARTICULAR, IMPROVED PROPULSION SYSTEMS, ALTERNATIVE FUELS, AND OTHER VEHICLE MODIFICATIONS ARE SURVEYED FROM THE POINT OF VIEW OF IMPROVING FUEL ECONOMY. /AUTHOR/TRRL/

• Corporate Authors:

  Pergamon Press, Incorporated

  Maxwell House, Fairview Park
  Elmsford, NY  United States  10523
• Authors:
  • McGillivray, R G
  • Kemp, M A
• Publication Date: 1974-10

Language

• English

Media Info

• Features: References; Tables;
• Pagination: p. 349-361
• Serial:
  • Transportation Research /UK/
  • Volume: 8
  • Issue Number: 4/5
  • Publisher: Pergamon Press, Incorporated

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Automobiles; Control; Design; Energy; Fuel consumption; Motor vehicles; Motors; Policy; Size
• Uncontrolled Terms: Decreases
• ITRD Terms: 1243: Car; 9009: Decrease; 9011: Design (overall design); 9014: Dimension; 232: Fuel consumption; 1334: Motor; 173: Policy
• Subject Areas: Design; Energy; Highways; Policy; Safety and Human Factors; Vehicles and Equipment; I91: Vehicle Design and Safety; I96: Vehicle Operating Costs;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00095857
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Transport and Road Research Laboratory (TRRL)
• Files: ITRD, TRIS
• Created Date: Jul 2 1975 12:00AM