Newsweek's Overview
Some pieces of the Newsweek article & my thoughts
"Extreme commuters" who travel more than 90 minutes to work, one way, are the fastest-growing group of commuters, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. More than 3.4 million commuters take that long road to work every day, double the rate of extreme commuters in 1990.
A smart automaker would target these high mileage workers with car models designed especially for them. For example, include an extra large oil tank, large oil filter and oil-life monitoring system: The goal, extend service intervals. A 5,000 mile service interval is really annoying to a person who drives more than that every month and who has very little spare time to take the car in for an oil change. Another possibility, offer dual mode tires with automatic inflation. In theory you could make a tire with a hard center groove that is exposed at high inflation pressures and goes out of contact with the pavement at low pressures. This could give the car the low-friction benefits of high pressure tires (like 60 psi) in fair weather straight drives, but could be switched to a high contact mode for wet weather or for cornering.
Robert Putnam, author of "Bowling Alone," found that every 10 minutes added to your commute decreases by 10 percent the time you dedicate to your family and community.
Nobody ever ponders on his death bed: Gee, if only I had spent more time commuting.
Inside the Lives of ?Extreme Commuters? - Newsweek Business - MSNBC.com
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