New Auto Gas Mileage Standards

President Obama recently unveiled a plan to sharply increase auto fuel economy. The proposal would require the companies to reach average fuel efficiency across their U.S. fleets of 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025. The good news this would lower US oil use by 2.2 million barrels a day over the next 15 years, and accordingly cut the amount of money flowing to OPEC. It would also cut more than 6 billion tons of carbon emissions during this period of time. The bad news is according to The Center for Automotive Research, this requirement cost about $6,700 extra per car. It is also absolutely obvious that in order to achieve such fuel efficiency, the automakers would have to make the cars much lighter. Lighter cars of course are less safe. In a head-on collision, a lighter car will always have larger change in velocity due to Conservation of Momentum law (see Hyperphysics Concepts). So, no matter what anyone tells you, new fuel economy standards will hurt vehicles safety simply due to the laws of physics, even though the new cars may meet National standards for car crash safety. The trick is, during the compliance tests the car is being crashed against a still wall. Properly designed lightweight cars can perfectly pass these tests and claim five-star safety rating. However, they will have an obvious disadvantage in real conditions if collided with heavier cars. If more fuel-efficient cars offer us, the consumers, a true advantage, why mandate it? Should not their production and sales be driven by the market forces?

Energy Savings Bulbs Fire Hazard

I wrote previously about potential mercury poisoning and UV radiation hazards related compact fluorescent lamp (CFL). Now it appears they may also present a fire hazard. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission just announced a voluntary recall of some energy-saving light bulbs made by Telstar Products (d/b/a Sprint International Inc) due to fire hazard. The affected bulbs are rated between 18 and 40 watt and are sold in discount stores under the brand names Telstar and Electra. Remember, unlike incandescent bulbs, a CFL is not just a filament. It contains a small PCB with electronic circuit that converts 115VAC 60 Hz input voltage into high frequency AC that drives the lamp. And any electronic circuit, especially the one that contains high voltage transistors and electrolytic capacitors, may be a potential fire hazard. This is another reason to stock up old incandescent bulbs that may not be available in US beginning 2012.

Recall of Sanus Surge Protectors Due to Shock Hazard

Milestone AV Technologies LLC voluntary recalled all low-profile power conditioners (surge protectors) Sanus Elements model ELM205, which used to be sold by home theater dealers. It was reported that improper grounding of the case and inadequate insulation poses an electrical shock hazard to consumers. More info is available from U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.