Ep 2: How fuel economy rules reshaped the U.S. car market

A single policy decision from the 1970s reshaped today’s car market. This episode explains how CAFE fuel-economy rules pushed automakers toward bigger SUVs and trucks — and why those incentives still shape vehicle size, safety, and design today.ReferencesWhitefoot, K., & Skerlos, S. (2014). University of Michigan College of Engineering: CAFE and Vehicle Size Effects on Fleet Efficiency. Energy Policy, January 2015.Popular Mechanics. (2014). “The Automotive Industry’s Counterintuitive Response to Fuel Economy Regulations.”Historical context on oil crises: OPEC embargo, 1973U.S. automotive history: Model T (1908), post-WWII economic boom, 1960s–70s muscle cars, 1980s–90s SUV rise