Electric steering

[Mickey1992]

Story from the AP today about automakers getting up to 8 percent better gas mileage by replacing car parts that run off of belts driven by the engine to electric.  With no increase in manufacturing costs overall.

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hUyagjw7HwXIMnSJEpHKHf5BUwIQ

I always felt that the car manufacturers (and big oil) would never be driven to produce cars with better efficiency until they were mandated by the government.  It seems that the upcoming regulations might be having the desired effect.

"Bruce Belzowski, assistant research scientist with the University of Michigan's Transportation Research Institute, sees a mad rush to electrify belt-drive components once Congress raises corporate average fuel economy standards."

[Maverick]

Greater efficiency can be achieved simply. It just takes smaller engines in smaller vehicles with better streamlining. The problem is that you have to get folks to buy them. Right now they are more into larger vehicles instead of smaller ones.

[Chairboy]

Centralized planning and regulation has a poor track record.  If these companies are making these changes, I'm pretty sure the root cause is because they're figuring that people are more likely to buy cars with efficiency as a big part of the decision.

[Hungry]

My 2007 Nissan Versa has electronic steering.  With 122 hp and a six speed that little bugger moves pretty well and never gets less than 33-35 on the highway and 25 - 27 around town.

[mora]

So this news in the US? In other parts of the world they´ve been used for years.