Frequent readers of this site may have
noticed that whenever the subject of fuel-efficient automobiles is raised, I go
up in arms about how expensive and unaffordable they are. But recently buzz has
been building around the Tata Nano, dubbed as ‘the world’s cheapest car.’ The
vehicle is set to be released in July and pre-orders are being taken at a mere
$2,000. Coupled with the superb fuel efficiency (56 mpg), the Nano should stand
as a prime example of affordability meets environmental concerns. But as Hank
Green writes in an article on EcoGeek, things are not always as they seem.
In Green’s article he outlines several
‘camps’ people have fallen into in relation to ultra-affordable automobiles,
which I will further distil into two groups:
1. Affordable cars such as the Tata Nano will
have a positive impact
People in this camp see the entry fee on
owning an automobile as far too steep and a means of keeping the disadvantaged
just that: disadvantaged. We should be heralding this breakthrough in
manufacturing and welcoming with open arms the fact that hundreds of millions
of financially deprived people can now afford transportation for themselves and
their families.
From this standpoint it was only a matter
of time before a cheap, cost-effective vehicle was made available.
2. Affordable cars such as the Tata Nano will
have a negative impact
People arguing from this position maintain
that producing such a cheap vehicle will not only dramatically increase roadway
congestion but it will also drastically increase the over all output of
greenhouse gases.
From this standpoint, cheap automobiles are
not the solution but rather a band-aid on a more deeply rooted problem. While
affordability and fuel economy benefit both the consumer and the environment, more
CO2-emitting vehicles on the road do not.
Both camps have valid arguments and Green
places himself in a more refined version of the latter where public transit
must be embraced in lieu of single-passenger vehicles. He has a pretty strong
case, especially in urban environments but it weakens the further you are from
the city center. Irregardless, India is
about to get an infusion of new drivers and although the lower and middle-class
will benefit, the environment will not. And the more people invested in cars
the more difficult it will become to convince them of public transit, further delaying
the pressing issues.
But the debate should not be localized to India. The
company has said it will be releasing versions of the Tata Nano in both Europe and North American, though
one has to wonder just how affordable the vehicle will be once North American
insurance companies are through with it. In its current form the Nano has
manual steering, no airbags, a body of sheetmetal and plastics, and a two
cylinder engine that maxes out at 105km/h.
