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The history of small fuel efficient cars.

Posted: Mon Apr 04, 2011 9:29 pm
by chrismb
While driving to work today, I was mulling over a few recent posts on economical cars, and the thought/question came to me:

[IIRC] In 1934, Hitler asked Porche to build their nation a car to carry two adults and three children at >100kph and >33mpg for <1000 marks.

Was Hitler the first person ever to issue a formal State/Gov-requirement for a production-vehicle minimum fuel efficiency?

Posted: Mon Apr 04, 2011 10:20 pm
by rjaypeters
Not without offending just about everyone I know...

Posted: Mon Apr 04, 2011 10:38 pm
by chrismb
I've deleted the extraneous bits. I don't want to make anyone uncomfortable. It was intended more as a specific question whether anyone had ever mentioned fuel efficiency earlier.

Posted: Mon Apr 04, 2011 10:45 pm
by CaptainBeowulf
Hitler was also a vegetarian and against drinking and smoking.

So after a good day of speeding down the highway, using excess gas, I can feel perfectly content firing up the barbecue, wasting some more fossil fuel, and eating a large steak with some scotch and a cigar.

Lol. While the occasional right-winger likes to emphasize the commonalities between lefties and Hitler, they don't really hold water. I can't really begrudge people who want to drive hybrids and live pseudo-healthy lifestyles (I think some meat and booze are actually good for you, just don't overdo it. Ok, tobacco is never good for you, but what the heck...). I admit to actually taking fuel efficiency into account when car shopping. Having such tendencies doesn't mean you want to commit genocide...

On the other hand, if you want to get rid of coal, stop gas drilling, and protest nuclear power, and force everyone to "do more with less," you are following a socialist ideology which ultimately means reducing the population a lot...

Posted: Mon Apr 04, 2011 10:51 pm
by Skipjack
LOL, yeah asking for more fuel efficiency is bad "because Hitler did it".
Well said Chris!
I am sure you are so proud of your wits.

Posted: Mon Apr 04, 2011 11:12 pm
by kunkmiester
I think people have yet to make a connection between the fact that Hitler did it and it being bad. I do think it's bad, but this hardly seems an application of Godwin's Law.

Chris can correct me if I'm wrong.

Posted: Mon Apr 04, 2011 11:28 pm
by chrismb
I've never heard of Godwin's law before but [after a wiki look up!] this was, indeed, actually one aspect of me posting. It was 'dual-purpose'; I am still interested on the factual side of who first began thinking of making mass produced cars to defined fuel economy targets (and ultimately if there have been forces at work to drive uneconomical car manufacture). But I think the connection I made with Hitler has driven that thread/question the wrong way. Sorry.

Posted: Tue Apr 05, 2011 12:01 am
by KitemanSA
Looks more like Niwdog's law. It STARTED with Hitler and went down-hill from there! :lol: