The Trump administration finalized new fuel economy standards that make cars cheaper to buy and more expensive to drive. This is the regulatory equivalent of offering you a discount on a treadmill that only works if you keep feeding it cash.
Lower standards mean automakers can sell you gas-guzzlers without the pesky burden of engineering efficiency. The cost of your new vehicle drops. Your fuel consumption rises. Your carbon dioxide emissions rise. But hey, you saved three grand up front, so who's the real winner here? Not you. You're just spreading the cost over ten years of gas station visits instead of financing it once.
This is what happens when policy gets written by people who think externalities are a type of car part. The administration looked at fuel economy regulations and said, "What if we made tomorrow's problem bigger so today's sticker price looks smaller?" Brilliant. Revolutionary. The kind of long-term thinking that made layaway plans obsolete.
Gas-powered vehicles get a boost. The planet gets a different kind of boost. Your wallet gets a short-term win followed by a long-term beating. But don't worry, the savings on your purchase price will definitely offset the extra two grand you'll spend on premium unleaded over the next decade. That's just math. Bad math, but still math.
Automakers are thrilled because they can keep building the profitable trucks and SUVs Americans love without investing in costly technology that makes engines suck less fuel. Consumers are thrilled because they don't understand amortization. Environmentalists are thrilled because they've been looking for new reasons to day-drink.
The real genius move is cutting standards right when gas prices are anyone's guess and climate predictions are all bad news. It's like canceling your health insurance because you feel fine today.
Photo by Shawn Clark on Unsplash
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