Human nature, as defined by those of us who use our morning runs to justify pigging out on jelly doughnuts, has a tendency to torpedo even high-minded goals — including, it turns out, fuel efficiency.
A study released Tuesday by economists at UC Davis shows that families who own fuel-efficient cars tend to buy big, powerful gas guzzlers as their second vehicle, largely defeating the purpose of the little petrol sippers in their garages.
The researchers, who studied California Department of Motor Vehicle trends for two-car households over several years, likened the phenomena to the “diet soda effect,” in which people who buy diet drinks reward themselves by wolfing down greasy french fries.
“If people buy a more fuel-efficient car, down the road when they replace one of their cars, the car they buy is going to be less fuel-efficient,” said lead author David Rapson, an associate professor of economics at the UC Davis Department of Economics and co-director of the Davis Energy Economics Program. “So the effect of fuel economy standards is reduced.”
View Article