"Probably 80% of every auto has to currently meet federal regulations. You can't drive a car that doesn't have head lights, seat belts, pollution control, various safety functions, tire specifications, brake specification, CAFE standards, crash tests, fuel tank location, etc, etc, etc..... can you imagine what cars would be like without any regulation???"
This is true, and probably a good, but I think it presents a HUGE barrier for new, efficient vehicle designs. I think any zero-emission vehicle should have a temporary ( maybe permanent ) exemption FROM most federal regulations.
Why? One of the main barriers for super efficient cars is weight. You really can't get around putting on the pounds when you have to pass federal crash test and safety regulations, as well as many of the other rules. As we did with the internet, people should be totally free to innovate in this space for a while.
I CHOOSE to ride a motorcycle, and I've survived. People should be free to CHOOSE to drive a super efficient car and accept the danger if they want to. |
