Quote:
Originally Posted by spinner
And if the cost of fuel goes way down, everyone should get off scot-free, right? This writer doesn't understand neither mathematics nor economics. He can toss off an idea but can't see it from more than one angle.
But he's sort-of on the right track: Should we be thinking in terms of miles per gallon or in gallons per miles (or gallons per 100 miles)? I guess one's more meaningful than the other depending on whether you're a farmer or a travelling salesperson. But if you endorse inverting the ratio, then now's a good time to start using Metric.
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Yes Gallons/100 miles driven (
GPC ) is far more useful. It puts the responsibility where it belongs on us the drivers. It's a more serious metric, not some ephemeral game ( what's the best mpg I can get? ). When one vehicle requires 2.1 GPC and another requires 5.5 GPC the differences are just as obvious as the current system. However the math of
fuel usage seems easier to me. Fuel is $3 / gal and I know I have a 2 GPC vehicle = $6 / 100 mi driven. This would start to make us begin thinking on a fuel usage perspective.
The outdated mpg metric as noted in the MSN article is almost an encouragement to drive more; if one has a 20 mpg vehicle but suddenly begins driving a 50 mpg vehicle one can see this as an encouragement to get in and use the 30 'free' miles.