In the Economist this week, Europe is considering using modern technology to link up convoys of cars on the highways to save gas. They would be driven by the first car and drive close enough that the other cars would get the benefit of the drafting to save gasoline.
Would this ever fly in America? Would you do it to save 10-20% in fuel costs? It would seem to make some sense on those long trips across eastern Colorado and all of Kansas but I don't think many people would give up their control or trust another driver they didn't know.
It would be nice that you wouldn't have to pay as much attention and could text to your heart's content.
Thomas Sowell: There are no solutions, just trade-offs.
I think the point of the OP was "modern technology". The government would put a chip and a transceiver in your car to prevent crashes and maximize savings. Then they would create a bureaucracy to credit the lead car with the appropriate amount of savings from each car in the tail. Then we would need a department of tail gate standards to check the accuracy of the system.
Yes, there would be modern technology including satellite tracking to alert the lead driver about upcoming problems but I still think you are going to have issues with simple physics. If a line of cars is that close at 60mph, none of them will be able to stop in case of a unknown emergency like a semi tire blowing out in the slow lane.
Thomas Sowell: There are no solutions, just trade-offs.
Since, I can't get youtube, somebody check out Mythbusters, I know they did a bit on drafting, and if I remember the results, where NOT worth the risks, but I could be wrong...
Once a very long time ago, driving a very loaded VW Micro bus :peace: across Nevada, I drafted a big rig for almost 200 miles. That was the fastest that bus ever went and we got the best gas mileage ever. The driver knew we were tucked in behind him.
I did see that Myth busters episode, the car they used had a much lower drag coefficient than a VW bus especially with a load of bicycles and other crap piled on top.
With the proper technology and highways, I think linking cars or trucks would work.
As much as it is supposed to save on gas-mileage, I'm not sure I would want to bet my life on something not happening a few cars up the line that I couldn't see in time to react, and to keep me from doing a Vulcan mind-meld with the vehicle in front of me....
