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[quote user="zardoz"] [quote user="Bucyrus"] ....The answer will be political rather than engineering or scientific.  [/quote]I'm thinking it will more likely be economics...[quote user="Bucyrus"]Expect many new federal controls on how large our vehicles can be, and how many miles we can drive them in a given time.  [/quote]Not in an election year!!  Or two years before an election!!  Remember how popular the nation-wide 55mph speed limit was?  There's no way any candidate that wants a personal political future would even think of suggesting that we get rid of our 3-ton chrome mountains; after all, how is Joe Sixpack going to compensate for his phallic inferiority complex other than driving around in some behemoth?  And of course don't forget Mrs. Soccermom, who needs a 7-seat Land Bruiser/Yukon/Expedition to take her precious little darlings to ballet practice, then shopping for compact flourescent light bulbs so she can "protect the environment".Perhaps instead of creating federal controls on our driving (a bit too totalitarian for me), how about requiring vehicles to be electronically regulated to a maximum speed, with the penalties for tampering sufficient to disuade people from even trying?  Not only would it save oil, it would save lives. Or perhaps an educational program sponsored by the feds, explaining to the citizens how their wonton use of oil serves to support the political unrest in the middle-east and elsewhere (Venezuela comes to mind). Wouldn't it be fun to be able to tell OPEC where they can shove their oil?As long as the big oil companies are in bed with the political 'leaders' of the world, all of our grand ideas of alternate fuels, alternate lifestyles, and alternate thinking, will be for naught.[/quote]You bring up several interesting points.  When I say the answer will be political rather than engineering or scientific, by political I mean government mandate.  And it is too totalitarian for me too, but that is what totalitarians do.  You are right to not expect it ahead of the election.  I would not expect that either, but I was thinking it would happen after the election.In addition to mandating smaller cars, everything about the speed control you mentioned plus much more in the same vein will be a reality easily within ten years.  I'm told we all want change.  Our driving habits will certainly change.
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