CAFE standards inadvertently killed small pickups because they allow worse fuel efficiency the bigger the vehicle is. Rather than figuring out how to build more efficient small trucks automakers just make them bigger. Congress should go back and fix the legislation, but they won’t. So we are stuck with Tacoma’s that are bigger than old T100s etc.
Add the “I need a big truck to prove I am manly culture” and even the electric trucks are too damn big. (Efficient to share parts with non-electric trucks contributes too.)
There is one justification for trucks that big. One. Towing. You have to have size and weight to control a load on a trailer with size and weight. But anything that has to be that big should also be mandated to be a cab-over style, so the driver can see in front and also be the one in greatest danger in case of a collision. Take the fucking oversized Tonka trucks away from the overgrown children who drive them. Monstrosities like the Suburban and Expedition should not exist either.
It’s a shame that Rivian had to go and try to appeal to the truck nuts crowd. Something the size of a Mighty Max could easily still weigh 2 tons with enough batteries and a motor per wheel. Give THAT the suspension and brakes to handle it and you’d really have something. Hell, give it a small ICE to run a generator and you would have a fantastic hybrid truck. But in America, at least, bigger is better. It’s sad really. We could have awesome things.
CAFE standards inadvertently killed small pickups because they allow worse fuel efficiency the bigger the vehicle is. Rather than figuring out how to build more efficient small trucks automakers just make them bigger. Congress should go back and fix the legislation, but they won’t. So we are stuck with Tacoma’s that are bigger than old T100s etc.
Add the “I need a big truck to prove I am manly culture” and even the electric trucks are too damn big. (Efficient to share parts with non-electric trucks contributes too.)
There is one justification for trucks that big. One. Towing. You have to have size and weight to control a load on a trailer with size and weight. But anything that has to be that big should also be mandated to be a cab-over style, so the driver can see in front and also be the one in greatest danger in case of a collision. Take the fucking oversized Tonka trucks away from the overgrown children who drive them. Monstrosities like the Suburban and Expedition should not exist either.
It’s a shame that Rivian had to go and try to appeal to the truck nuts crowd. Something the size of a Mighty Max could easily still weigh 2 tons with enough batteries and a motor per wheel. Give THAT the suspension and brakes to handle it and you’d really have something. Hell, give it a small ICE to run a generator and you would have a fantastic hybrid truck. But in America, at least, bigger is better. It’s sad really. We could have awesome things.