WIred reports that Sir Mark Moody-Stuart, the elegantly named former chairman of oil giant Royal Dutch Shell, wants vehicles which get less than 35 miles per gallon to be banned. Whatever epiphany prompted this decidedly un-oil-company-execish outburst, it's attracted a lot of attention in the UK, with detractors suggesting that such a move would obliterate the luxury segment of the auto market (I can vouch for that; my Jag sucks back more juice than Lindsay Lohan on New Year's Eve and the Green Daily corporate Ferrari is even worse.)
Still, the idea might have some merit. The article observes that legislation has frequently been used to force the auto industry to do the right thing, with seatbelts and catalytic converters being a couple of the more obvious examples. Maybe some external discipline would help car designers apply their creative energies a little more vigorously to reducing fuel consumption.
Incidentally, Moody-Stuart says he's driven a hybrid since 2001, the same year he left his job at Royal Shell. Coincidence?
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