Five Things Carmakers Will Never Do That Would Boost Gas Mileage

December 4, 2012 9:58 AM " The auto industry gets plenty of attention for its environmental impact, but it’s clear to see that fuel efficiency has made huge strides even in the last five years.

It could be even better, though.

Ultimately, a carmaker has to sell cars to survive-and it does that by creating products that people want, continually refining, and adding “more” of everything.

Below, we look at five things automakers will never do, which could really push efficiency to new levels.

1. Increase noise

Electric cars may put into context how much noise regular vehicles produce, but compared to their predecessors, all cars are pretty quiet.

That particularly applies at speed, where wind roar, tire noise and engine drone have all been minimized, to the point where even smaller cars can comfortably cover large distances. And they do so at speed-speeds which reduce gas mileage.

It wouldn’t be popular, but removing sound-deadening material and introducing a bit more noise would encourage people to travel a little slower, where the sounds were more bearable-and all other things being equal, they’d save more gas at those lower speeds "

Click here to read the whole article