Miles Per Gallon

Answer 1

Miles per gallon (mpg) has become a prominent topic of interest and discussion over the past decade or two. It is a subject that trends upward every time a spike in oil prices makes headlines. It is a term that has automotive manufacturers on edge. It has inspired technology that has increased the fuel efficiency of current vehicles. It is also a term that has hindered sales of some cars while increasing the demand for others.

Hybrid technology as well as the science behind electric vehicles are direct results of the public's demand for more miles per gallon. What a path we have taken over the past few decades, as one crisis after another impacted the oil market.

Many of us have a clear image and a fond memory of gasoline that pumped out at 33 cents a gallon back in the day. We agonized when the costs rose to 99 cents, cringed when it approached $2, flipped out when fuel reached $3 per gallon, and finally resigned ourselves to $4 and $5 per gallon gas. What a difference a few years makes in our acceptance of things we have no control over.

The higher prices have resigned most of us to accept smaller fuel efficient cars over the behemoths we preferred for years. Huge displacement engines we cherished, have given way to 4 cylinder bangers and vehicles that barely accomodate the tushes of our larger than ever posteriors. The acceptance of the new reality of size and function has had an effect on the price of fuel. Even though prices are high, the better miles per gallon we now obtain has actually somewhat reduced our need for fuel overall, and helped contain the further escalation of costs.

The generations of the 21st century and beyond will never again experience the low cost of fuel from the mid twentieth century. Nor will it experience the gigantic fuel guzzling monster cars old timers fondly recall. Those are distant memories of fast cars that averaged 10 mile per gallon or less. At the time, who cared? You could fill a tank for $5.