The greening of America has brought attention to many of our wasteful behaviors (and rightly so). One thing is clear as car manufacturers roll out energy efficient models - to save energy, cars need to be smaller. The problem is that we are a physically large society that is used to space in our cars. This is true for everyone, even commuters! The suburbanites who take a gaggle of kids to soccer, school, or play practice will be slow to relinquish their car space. We have physically gotten larger as a society, both height and weight. Unless we all turn into health conscious vegans, there is little chance of a quick reversal. Look at the tricycle car in the photo. Do these two handsome models look like the average American? Did you see the photo of six-foot-six (I think) GM CEO Wagoner getting out of the Chevy Volt when the car manufacturers went begging for money? Priceless. This guy, million dollar salary aside, would never purchase this car. It simply is not comfortable for a guy of his size.
I know cars need to weigh less and still be crash safe. I understand the complexity of building a truly fuel-efficient car that can be mass produced at a reasonable cost. But car designers, environmentalists, and other stakeholders in the system need to understand something about User Centered Design (UCD). People aren't going to become smaller to accomodate a car. Families aren't going to stop having kids just so they can fit into a small car. Sure, our behavior is wasteful. Let's start to address this with public policy (like we have with recycling). Over time, we can encourage people to adapt to smaller vehicles. Expecting that everyone will want a Volt or Prius by 2010 is simply not reasonable. Small cars are uncomfortable for the mainstream America. Let's acknowledge this as we work towards better fuel efficiency and recognize that significant transition steps must occur to get people into smaller vehicles.
Al Gore's son drives a Prius (I know this because I saw he was busted for drugs in it in a news story). But I'll guarantee you Al, who gained weight like the rest of America, isn't tooling around on trips in this car. I fact, if you google Al Gore and car, you get a bunch of photos where he is chauffeured around in Audis and Benz's. Because he's a hypocrite? No, I honestly don't think so. Because he's a typical overweight American? Bingo!
