Do Green Cars Just Make People Drive More?

[FSUspectra]

An interesting idea that may hold some water.

Kiera Butler - MOTHERJONES - March 7, 2011

Have you found this may be true for you or others you know? --Ed.

Treehugger reports that in Sweden, purchases of fuel-efficient cars are on the rise, but so are emissions. So does this mean that Swedes are actually driving more (and thus creating more emissions) because their new green cars allow them to do so more cheaply?

This question is an example of the Jevons Paradox, which David Owen recently wrote about in the New Yorker: Make something more efficient, and people will use it more. "This effect is usually referred to as 'rebound'—or, in cases where increased consumption more than cancels out any energy savings, as 'backfire,'" he writes. (Owen uses the example of refrigerators and air conditioners in the piece, but the general principle can be applied to anything that consumes energy.)

The Rocky Mountain Institute's Amory Lovins wrote a rebuttal to the piece, pointing out that Owen doesn't account for income growth over the past century: "Overwhelmingly, it is increased wealth, not past energy savings, that enables people to buy cheap, inefficient air-conditioners." It's not hard to extend this argument to cars: As people get richer, they buy more cars and drive them more places, thus using more fuel and creating more emissions.... [Read More]

[ItsNotAboutTheMoney]

I actively try to avoid using efficiency as an excuse to consume more. I've caught my wife trying to reason that way once or twice.

It's virtually all about wealth*. If you choose a more efficient option that increases purchase power you'll have spare money and you can spend that money on something else. If you go out to spend your extra wealth you'll probably be driving more.

As the rebuttals have indicated the patterns have everything to do with freight, which can easily be as a result of additional income rather than financial savings.

* As in: what your money buys not how much money you have.

[iHypermile]

I could see how that might happen. In my case our budget just wasn't ready to buy a new car, but I needed to replace my 2001 Saturn. So I have to off-set the cost of a HIH-II with fuel savings. I also know that if go anywhere I'll spend money. My HIH-II sits most weekends except for a quick run to the grocery store. So I'd have to say since I bought my fe car, I've driven far less.

[dr61]

I wondered when installing our solar PV system if we would be tempted to use more AC and lighting. It has turned out to be the opposite. We actively have reduced electric energy use even though it costs us zero $. With vehicles it is the same; we try to reduce trips by combining chores, and maximize FE for each trip.

[WriConsult]

I do NOT think they "make" people drive more. There are other trends driving the increase in miles; the increase in consumption would be worse if it weren't for green cars. It may be that less thirsty vehicles enable a few people to drive more miles (especially true of VW TDIs, historically), but it comes nowhere near to fully offsetting the energy savings.

[Parasite]

I put in a very high effcient heat pump. It allowed me to be less uncomfortable in winter by having the house further into my confort zone i.e warmer. It was still a saving, but not as much as it would have been keeping it colder.
The same with lights. With the new CFL lights I sometimes leave one on when I leave the house so I have light when I come back. Again you get a savings, but sometimes it is less than the official percent of savings would indicate.

[wick1ert]

For people that truly stick to a monthly $ budget, I'm not sure how much they'll be able to drive extra as prices continue to move upward. I know someone that stated it's allowed them to "maintain their lifestyle". He also said that they can "put the screws to the oil companies", yet he rides his Harley for pleasure (he's only had the bike for a little over a year). They did trade in a Jeep Liberty for their Prius, so the amount of fuel used by the Harley doesn't put much of a dent into what they saved on their daily commute.

For the typical worker, a daily commute is still a daily commute. They might have expendable $ to use on the weekends, but I'm not sure how much more they actually drive. I've hung pretty consistent on my amount of driving.

[PaleMelanesian]

Did the chicken come first, or the egg?

Maybe people who already drive more are the ones drawn to efficient cars. They have the most to gain by such a decision. Conversely, those who only putt around in town don't use much fuel in any vehicle, so efficiency is a lower priority.

Example: I've seen several times in recent weeks a VW TDI, with Alaska plates. I think that's a good choice for someone driving that far.

[cswee1932]

I don't know if it's true for most, but since I've picked up my '07 HCHII in mid August, I've put around 12k miles on it. I know I wasn't putting more than 15k on my previous Civic before that...I don't know what it is, it's not as if we've moved in the past 5 years, if anything stores have popped up closer...although I have been traveling more for work...

Go figure!

Chris

[Mendel Leisk]

Wasn't one of the responses to the "you know you're a hypermiler when..." thread:

When coming home you drive around the block once more, trying to push your fuel consumption rate down

Something like that.