It's always entertaining to read articles about cars written by people who have no earthly idea how they work. First, the most insane notion that is hinted at in many of these posts is "if we could just reduce idle emissions, we'll save lives and the planet". Combustion is a simple process, it is the oxidation of fuel in a way that gives off energy. In a gasoline engine without controls, you have hydrocarbons, oxygen, nitrogen, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxide, water vapor H2O. Idle is the state of the engine that produces fewer "bad" byproducts that any other operational state. Stable fuel control, low combustion chamber temperatures, etc. The modern catalytic converter does away with HC and s bit of the others. Cars rarely spend 20% of their operation at idle,and in order to reduce emissions that much, it would have to be more like 50%. Translation, the pollution, fuel savings, et. al. are greatly exaggerated compared to what comes out during normal driving.
Next, the 70's oil embargo had NOTHING to do with the tech. As someone almost got right, it required electronic fuel injection, modern batteries, and here's the payoff a specially designed alternator and front accessory drive system with improved belts to both start car and charge the electical system. (Note that the system does NOT use the starter motor). NONE of these things were available as a package to engineers for a mass production vehicle until recently.
Last,the CAFE (Corporate Average Fuel Economy) rating was a result of the oil embargo, but it didn't take Obama long to realize that he could pervert the system designed to conserve fuel to push the sky is falling global warming debate. By setting the average north of 50 MPG, a number that NO gasoline cars can reach as a fleet average, he created a federal mandate for EV's without even mentioning them. By making cars that get infinite fuel economy (a total lie, the power comes from somewhere), they can get credits to keep making gasoline engines the the customers want. The start/stop credit was yet another perversion of the CAFE laws.
The upshot of all of the is the tech does provide some reduction in fuel and emissions, but nowhere near justifies the expense and customer dissatisfaction the comes with it. And CAFE was not the way to do it, since that's not why the law was written.
Next, the 70's oil embargo had NOTHING to do with the tech. As someone almost got right, it required electronic fuel injection, modern batteries, and here's the payoff a specially designed alternator and front accessory drive system with improved belts to both start car and charge the electical system. (Note that the system does NOT use the starter motor). NONE of these things were available as a package to engineers for a mass production vehicle until recently.
Last,the CAFE (Corporate Average Fuel Economy) rating was a result of the oil embargo, but it didn't take Obama long to realize that he could pervert the system designed to conserve fuel to push the sky is falling global warming debate. By setting the average north of 50 MPG, a number that NO gasoline cars can reach as a fleet average, he created a federal mandate for EV's without even mentioning them. By making cars that get infinite fuel economy (a total lie, the power comes from somewhere), they can get credits to keep making gasoline engines the the customers want. The start/stop credit was yet another perversion of the CAFE laws.
The upshot of all of the is the tech does provide some reduction in fuel and emissions, but nowhere near justifies the expense and customer dissatisfaction the comes with it. And CAFE was not the way to do it, since that's not why the law was written.
May you find a place on Earth where you are not affected by pollution of any kind.
