Gas-guzzler
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Gas-guzzler commonly refers to a vehicle that makes inefficient use of fuel.
The term came into wide use to describe the "Gas Guzzler Tax" and after that while discussing environmental concerns related to climate change and smog.
Nowadays, gas-guzzlers are often SUVs or other semi-large vehicles that qualify as light trucks, so they do not need to obey the minimum fuel economy regulations of cars; however, gas-guzzler can also refer to classic cars (mostly American ones with large displacement V8 engines) and other cars that have poor fuel economy. For example, a Lamborghini Murcielago, a Plymouth Roadrunner, and a Chevrolet Tahoe might all be classified as gas-guzzlers, though they are very different cars.
Common examples of 'gas-guzzlers' include:
- SUVs
- Pickup trucks
- Full-size vans
- High performance supercars
- Classic musclecars
- Some luxury cars.
- Most old cars can be regarded to have bad fuel economy when compared to similar modern vehicles.
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[edit] Reasons for bad fuel economy
There are generally three large reasons for bad fuel economy in all of the cars mentioned:
- Large displacement engines. A large displacement engine requires more fuel to run it than a smaller engine, with the only exception applying to forced induction engines.
- Small displacement engines. An excessively small engine often requires more fuel to run than a moderately bigger engine which can deliver more power per piston bore than its smaller equivalent. A smaller engine has to work twice as hard to deliver adequate power, thus consuming more fuel than had the engine had a slightly bigger engine capacity. This situation is often found in Ireland[1] where a backward motor taxation system is used which taxes cars based on engine CC's.
- Heavy weight. A heavy vehicle requires more work to accelerate than a lighter vehicle, requiring more powerful (larger displacement) engine with higher fuel consumption to achieve a similar power-to-weight ratio.
- Large drag coefficient. A less aerodynamic vehicle must deflect a greater volume of air when moving at the same speed than a more aerodynamic one. To overcome this drag, a more powerful engine with higher fuel consumption is needed.
As we can see, most SUVs and pickup trucks share all the qualities needed to be inefficient, whereas, for instance, supercars usually have only a large displacement engine, making the light truck market with their added popularity very criticizable for causing increase in the use of fuel.
[edit] Gas-guzzlers in work use
Light trucks such as pickups and SUVs are often used in working environments due to their powerful engines which generate a lot of torque and horsepower required in heavy hauling and towing of trailers. Many people who oppose the use of gas-guzzlers (such as environmentalists) don't mind or even endorse the use of these vehicles in work use, because even a large-engined light-duty vehicle usually is more fuel efficient than a medium-duty more serious work vehicle.[citation needed]
[edit] Vandalism
Gas-guzzlers have in fairly recent history also been the target of "environmental vandals", who often use arson and other vandalism against targeted vehicles.[citation needed] However, this is a very questionable action, seeing that it is illegal, and generally, burning, for instance, a Hummer H2 generates significantly more smog-forming pollutants, such as nitrogen oxides, than running the vehicle for a considerable amount of time.[citation needed]
[edit] Means to decrease fuel consumption
The increasing trend is to make engines smaller yet more efficient. For example, removing a V8 and replacing it with a supercharged V6 results in much better fuel economy without compromising on power or ability. This trend is mainly caused by the declining popularity of fuel inefficient vehicles due to rising gas prices.
Gas-guzzlers are not only seeing a scale back in engine size and weight but also in the type of fuel used to power it to prevent environmental damage caused by the use of fossil fuels. For example, some light truck manufacturers are adopting hydrogen fuel technology in order to provide the consumer a vehicle with a much lower running cost. The problem with these alternative fuel technologies is that they are either too expensive for widespread use and/or they are scarcely available especially in smaller countries.
Diesel technology is widespread in light trucks, especially in Japan and Europe. The bad reputation of diesel fuel and the previously bad quality of the fuel, however, have led to the rarity of such vehicles in the U.S market. The excessive particle emissions of diesel engines have also been cut back with particulate filters, which are offered for most modern diesel engines. The introduction of ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel in the U.S. along with rising gas prices might make diesel-powered vehicles popular again in the United States.[citation needed]
Driving habits and vehicle maintenance are easy to change and can have a big impact on fuel efficiency. Driving at 120km/h (75mph) can consume 25% more fuel than cruising at 100km/hr (60mph) since automobiles are optimized to run in the 60-100km/h (40-60mph) range. Sudden acceleration, poorly maintained vehicles (frequency of oil changes and brand) and gasoline brands can also impact overall fuel efficiency by over 20%.[2][3][4]
[edit] Gas Guzzler Tax
[edit] Basics
The U.S government introduced the Gas Guzzler Tax as a part of the Energy Tax Act. The tax was introduced to tax the purchase of fuel-inefficient alternatives. The tax is applied on a sliding scale, with more tax depending on the number of how many miles per gallon the vehicle gets. For instance most SUVs, pickup trucks, and sports-/supercars fall under the taxable category.
[edit] Criticism
The Gas-Guzzler Tax has been criticized for multiple reasons.[citation needed]
The largest reason of criticism is that the tax doesn't apply to some of the most inefficient vehicles which weigh over 8,500 lbs, since they aren't included in the EPA fuel economy testing and therefore don't have EPA fuel economy reports; however, the rules are about to change with the 2008 model year update on the EPA testing procedures, which will mean that over 8,500 lb vehicles (except heavy duty pickups) will be included in testing. Their buyers will therefore have to pay the tax depending on their economy.[citation needed]
The other major criticism is that the tax doesn't change depending on the car's initial price, which means that the buyers of very expensive luxury vehicles/performance cars will have to pay a very small percentage of the car's initial price. The buyers of the cheapest SUV/pickup models and other cheap but inefficient vehicles will have to pay a very large percentage of the car's initial price.[citation needed]
