Request To Put Speed Limits On All Sections Of The Autobahn Network In Germany Petition

To: German Federal Government

To Angela Merkel (current Bundeskanzlerin of Germany)
and the German Parlament:

This is a petition to be signed by the many people of the world and is addressed to the German Parlament and to the current Bundeskanzlerin (Federal Chancellor) of Germany, who has a PhD in Physics, to highlight how putting speed limits on all of the German Autobahn network could curb global warming world-wide.

The existence of “no speed limit” sections of the Autobahn network in Germany increases world-wide consumer desire for faster and more powerful cars and increases the desire of manufacturers to endlessly hype power and speed as being essential components of automobile design. The gas wasted by cars using the “no speed limit” sections of the Autobahn network in Germany is not as important as the problem of the internationally over-hyped “need for speed” that is made possible in part due to the mere existence of roadways with no speed limits.

The power required to propel the average compact car at normal USA freeway speeds of 55-65mph is about 11hp on a level road. (Electric vehicles use only about 80 amps @ 100V @ 55mph.) Having a 200+ hp gas engine under the hood ends up burning a lot of extra gas, proportional to the displacement volume of the engine.

In contrast, it seems reasonable to expect that if the trend towards ever higher acceleration rates and ever heavier cars with more powerful engines were reversed, incredible savings in fuel consumption could be realized using off the shelf technology. Some compact cars sold in USA in the 1990’s achieved 40-50mpg highway using 1 liter 55 hp engines. Scaling down a 2007 model, 2 Liter, 200 hp, 30mpg sports car engine to 65hp would result in a 650 cc engine that could get even better gas mileage. A hybrid with such an engine could have better gas mileage than any hybrid on the road today.

We urge you to set an example for the rest of the world and retire the legend called the “no speed limit Autobahn”, thus reducing the hype that creates the “need for speed” and the resulting world-wide wasting of fuel in high performance automobiles. Please impose binding speed limits on all sections of the Autobahn network. And please publicize what you have done so that others will reduce or eliminate their “need for speed”. The resulting world-wide fuel savings could power all of Germany’s energy needs. Thank you.


Sincerely,

The Undersigned