Robin Hood approach to global warming

Fuel-efficient vehicles could save you several times over

Posted by Adam Browning (Guest Contributor) at 11:59 AM on 09 Apr 2007

Read more about: climate | climate change mitigation | cars | California | hybrids

A proposed new California law would take from the guzzlers and give to the sippers:

Call it the Robin Hood approach to global warming. California drivers who buy new Hummers, Ford Expeditions, and other big vehicles that emit high levels of greenhouse gases would pay a fee of up to $2,500.

And drivers who buy more fuel-efficient cars -- like the Toyota Prius or Ford Focus -- would receive rebates of up to $2,500, straight from the gas-guzzlers' pockets.

Car dealers are opposed, natch. And expect drive-time talk radio to range from apoplectic to apocalyptic -- you know, both sides of the issue. But I think Dan Kalb has it right:

"Those vehicles that are polluting the most are harming society more than other vehicles," said Dan Kalb, state policy director for the Union of Concerned Scientists.

"Consumer choice is preserved," Kalb said. "But if somebody wants to buy a vehicle that pollutes a lot, they are going to have to compensate for the harm that is causing society."

Sounds about right.

For story: Robin Hood approach to global warming
9 Comments | Post a Comment

I REALLY like this program

Oddly judging the book by it's cover, the costs don't neccisarily go towards the consumer.

Instead the benefits go towards manufacturers.
http://www.ucsusa.org/clean_california/california-clean-c ...

The other nuance to this bill is that each manufacturer gets to pick a few vehicles in each class which aren't taxed.
(Not quite sure how that would play out)

But the coolest part about this program, as opposed to CAFE, is that it promotes continued innovation by successful car companies.

And it requires no public funds to operate, since it's self funded by the manufacturers.

-David Ahlport

by GreyFlcn at 12:10 PM on 09 Apr 2007

Feebates!

This sort of program has always struck me as a really straightforward and sensible, and much, much easier to implement than any form of CAFE or carbon cap program. Unlike most of the carbon cap/tax/control programs, it's not regressive. In fact, lower income folks are probably outside of the loop altogether, since the program presumably only applies to new car purchases. Although it will have the long term effect of shifting the used car market towards more efficient vehicles, which is all to the good.

by GreenEngineer at 3:03 PM on 09 Apr 2007

Lovins loves it

Amory Lovins has been talking about "feebates" for years as an efficient way to incentivize purchases of high MPG cars. But this bill is far too slow to get moving. The article says, "The bill would apply to new cars, pickups, minivans and sport-utility vehicles, starting with 2011 models." Why does it take 3+ years to calculate a feebate structure? Just pick the mean MPG, do some calculations of recent sales of each model, and assign the values. It could be ready for the 2008 models.

by meander at 11:05 PM on 09 Apr 2007

Why delay feebates?

I suspect to give manufacturers time to respond to price signals by increasing manufacture of more efficient lines and decreasing manufacture of less efficient ones. Given the habit U.S. auto manufacturers have of responding to regulation with lawyers and lobbyists rather than engineers it is probably a mistake.

by Gar Lipow at 12:06 AM on 10 Apr 2007

Sounds like common sense idea to me

This is the kind of idea that is so common-sense, simple and straight forward that noone will ever do it. Even if it did get put into action, I forsee Hummer owners launching lawsuits complaining that they are being discriminated against because they can afford such ridiculously unnecessary cars. Car manufacturer's will mostly likely get in on the pity party too.

Perhaps what we ought to do is fight fire with fire: pay some big rap stars to drive Priuses, write songs about them and feature them in their videos. Or we can make a cool movie with some super hot teen movie actor about super fast electric sports cars (Working title-2 fuel efficient 2 furious). When the American people start seeing fuel efficient cars are the next new thing you have to have to be anyone, they will sell like hotcakes. Kind of like the Hummer....

by greenbetty at 10:51 AM on 10 Apr 2007

I REALLY like Robin Hood

And not because of that ridiculous bow-and-arrow contraption. : )

Chickens deserve our true friendship! So do fish! So do other sentient beings! Let us learn to be kind.

by caniscandida at 11:04 AM on 10 Apr 2007

One more time

I'll just say it, ONE more time.

This isn't payed by/toward the Consumers
This is payed by/toward the Manufacturers

It's essentially a competition between Manufacturers, where the losers pay the winners.

Furthermore, there's a few vehicles in each weight-class and each manufacturer which are exempt from "playing this game".

But the main reason they are doing this is to bridge the gap between normal cars, and hybrids.

(Or better yet bridge the gap between normal cars and what people will pay in excess for plugin hybrids, which according to EPRI is about $2000)

-David Ahlport

by GreyFlcn at 12:02 PM on 10 Apr 2007
[ Parent ]

I am less optimistic

It will be a social experiment. The desired outcome is known, the actual outcome is a crap shoot. This could increase the status of bigger cars and lower the status of smaller hybrid cars, pushing sales toward bigger cars. Government can be notoriously stupid, as my hybrid tax credit will attest, as the attempt to force electric cars into the market before the technology was ready attested.

In the end, it all comes down to biodiversity. Poison Darts--Protecting the biodiversity of our world

by biodiversivist at 6:25 PM on 10 Apr 2007

Well I have no doubt

Well I have no doubt that by 2011 we will atleast a half dozen electric, if not much more.

Hell, we've got two (expensive) ones coming out in 2008.

In particular the Tesla Roadster, and the Zap-X.

Both of them can out perform any car, short high end sports cars that costs 5x the ammount. (And even then can beat most of those)

Past that, it's merely a matter of bringing them down in price.

And thats just the all-electric cars.

GM should have atleast 2 plugin electric cars out by 2010.

Then there's a variety of cool liquid fuel enegine technologies.

Including the Maxwell engine
The StarRotor engine.

If California's governor can make hydrogen hummers.

Making electric hummers would be all too simple :P

-David Ahlport

by GreyFlcn at 7:04 PM on 10 Apr 2007

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