The Weight of Power

Key Insights

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• The CAFE standards’ footprint rule created incentives for automakers to build larger vehicles to meet easier fuel economy targets, leading to systematic escalation in vehicle size and mass.
• Vehicle incompatibility in crashes disproportionately increases fatality risks for occupants of smaller vehicles and pedestrians, as heavier vehicles override safety structures.
• The exponential relationship between vehicle weight and road wear means modern heavy vehicles inflict disproportionate damage on infrastructure, socialized as public costs.
• The shift to electric vehicles has not reduced the trend toward mass; instead, battery weight has enabled even heavier vehicles, compounding environmental and safety issues.

References

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1. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. (2020). CAFE Standards for Model Years 2021-2026. U.S. Department of Transportation.
2. Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. (2023). Vehicle size and weight. Status Report, 58(4).
3. American Society of Civil Engineers. (2021). Infrastructure Report Card: Roads. ASCE.
4. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. (2016). The Fourth Power Law: How Vehicle Weight Affects Pavement Damage. In Critical Issues in Transportation.
5. Consumer Reports. (2023). Front Blind Zone Tests Reveal Danger to Pedestrians.
6. Environmental Protection Agency. (2023). The Automotive Trends Report: Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Fuel Economy, and Technology since 1975.
7. Gohlke, D., & Zhou, Y. (2022). Weight, Power, and Safety: A Preliminary Assessment of Electric Vehicles. Argonne National Laboratory.
8. Banzhaf, H. S., & Lavery, N. (2019). Can the New Fuel Economy Standards Help Us Live Longer? Journal of Health Economics, 68.
9. International Energy Agency. (2022). Global EV Outlook 2022.
10. Platchkov, L. M., & Pollitt, M. G. (2011). The Economics of Electric Vehicles. The Energy Journal, 32(4).