Associated Press | The U.S. government is setting tough gas
mileage standards for new cars and trucks, spurring the next generation
of fuel-sipping gas-electric hybrids, efficient engines and electric
cars.
The heads of the Transportation Department and the Environmental
Protection Agency on Thursday will sign final rules requiring 2016
model-year vehicles to meet fuel efficiency targets of 35.5 miles per
gallon combined for cars and trucks, an increase of nearly 10 mpg over
current standards set by the National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration.
The EPA, which received the power to regulate carbon dioxide emissions in a 2007 Supreme Court ruling, will set a tailpipe emissions standard of 250 grams (8.75 ounces) of carbon dioxide per mile for vehicles sold in 2016, or the equivalent of what would be emitted by vehicles meeting the mileage standard. The EPA is issuing its first rules ever on vehicle greenhouse gas emissions.
President Barack Obama, previewing the plan Wednesday, said it marked a reversal “after decades in which we have done little to increase auto efficiency.” Obama said the standards would “reduce our dependence on oil while helping folks spend a little less at the pump.”
Each auto company will have a different fuel-efficiency target, based on its mix of vehicles. Automakers that build more small cars will have a higher target than car companies that manufacture a broad range of cars and trucks. The standard could be as low as 34.1 mpg by 2016 because automakers are expected to receive credits for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in other ways, including preventing the leaking of coolant from air conditioners.
Obama said the new requirements will save 1.8 billion barrels of oil over the life of the program, which will cover the 2012-16 model years. The new standards move up goals set in a 2007 energy law, which required the auto industry to meet a 35 mpg average by 2020.
A NHTSA official familiar with the plan, who was not authorized to speak publicly before Thursday’s announcement, said the requirements would add about $1,000 per new vehicle by 2016 but would pay back that investment within three years. The rule is expected to save more than $3,000 over the life of the vehicle through better gas mileage.
Environmental groups have sought curbs on greenhouse gas emissions, blamed for global warming, and challenged the Bush administration for blocking a waiver request from California to pursue more stringent air pollution rules than required by the federal government. The request was granted by the Obama administration last year.
“The standards forthcoming under the ‘clean car peace treaty’ are a good deal for consumers, for companies, for the country and for the planet,” said David Doniger, climate policy director for the Natural Resources Defense Council.
Automakers have been working on an assortment of fuel-efficient technologies, including hybrids, electric cars and technologies that shut off an engine’s cylinders when full power isn’t needed.
Nissan is releasing its electric car, the Leaf, later this year, while General Motors is introducing the Chevrolet Volt, which can go 40 miles on battery power before an engine kicks in to generate power. Ford is bringing its “EcoBoost” line of direct-injection turbocharged engines, which provide a 20 percent increase in fuel efficiency, to 90 percent of its models by 2013.
Under the rules, automakers could earn credits by producing alternative fuel vehicles and by producing advanced technology cars.
This is not soon enough for the gas miliage how about 2012 would be better , the price of gas is slowly heading to the four dollar level again for some reason even though the barrel price is below the level of 2 years ago
I knew that there had to be a “catch” for yesterday’s drilling announcement. Mandating a 40% increase in fuel economy, not by law and debate, but by executive fiat is just another power-grabbing move by this administration.
The Energy Independence Act was signed into law by President Bush. President Bush authorized regulations authorizing the DOE to implement the 35.5 mpg CAFE standard for cars starting with the 2012 model year. 2020 was to be the year where the CAFE combined fleet mileage for cars and light trucks was to meet a 37.5 mpg average. These mileage averages are to be achieved in combined driving (mix of city/ highway)- not highway driving alone. Therefore President Obama gave the irresponsible manufacturers an extra 3 years to comply than what President Bush ordered.
1.8 Billion barrels of oil saved over the life of the program…The U.S. consumes 25 million barrels of oil per day. Nearly 10 Billion barrels per year. Of which we produce only 20%. Over the course of 5 years the plan would reduce oil consumption by less than 5%.
Many European countries have a CO2 tax for cars exceeding 100g of C02.
Ford’s EcoBoost in the Taurus…sure it gives really good fuel efficiency. Like 15 mpg on city driving. Yeah my Dad’s 1977 Caddy got 15 mpg. But in 1977 gasoline was $0.80 per gallon at the pump and the U.S. was producing 50% of its oil consumption.
There is a big problem on the horizon. As more and more fuel efficient and electric vehicles enter the market, revenue from gas taxes will sharply decline. This will put a huge dent in various government budgets. (state/federal)
The government may end up switching to a tax based on miles driven, or some other form of tax. They’ll get you…somehow.
Start of Marshall Law??? What would this actually do? Now this then what, they will then have the ability to raise prices because people are not using as much? Gas will then cost 6 bucks a gallon.
I just returned from a road trip over spring break to Florida. When you leave the Chicago area, gas prices are typically .50/gallon lower. I assume that part of that difference is all the taxes we pay. Has anyone calculated what the loss of revenue to the state and municipalities will be when we all switch to hybrids and electric vehicles?
Zero gas mileage or this can’t be counted as progress. Otherwise the gov’t is speaking from the age of dinosaurs.
No more fossil fuels.
These standards are incredibely mild compared to most developed nations. Quit whining, and if you don’t like it, get off your lazy #$% and ride a bike. Welcome to the 21st century.
Obama said the standards would “reduce our dependence on oil while helping folks spend a little less at the pump.”
ROFL! What a moronic statement! Does he really think that oil companies are going to sit back and let America spend less on gasoline? If fuel consumption dips by 50%, gas prices will just double to make up the difference caused by lesser consumption. The problem is that a publicly traded company must always increase profits year-over-year or be viewed as a failure in the eyes of Wall Street, depressing their stock value. Do you really think Exxon and the like will allow their revenue and their profits to be cut in half due to these new efficiency standards?? They will just make twice as much money producing half the amount they used to!
These Miles/gallon numbers are a ruse because the auto unions have resisted higher MPG because it would cost them jobs.
The trucks do not get 20 miles/gallon-why not?
The hybrids get 40+ miles/gallon but the dollar savings cannot justify the higher initial cost.
The government, once again , has shown it cannot control the miles per gallon in vehicles because of the “payoffs” to their supporters-UNIONS.
If the government were serious about miles per gallon achievements they would mandate the goals by demanding :
45 MPG for smaller vehicles, 40MPG for full size vehicles, 35 MPG for small trucks, 30 MPG for all government vehicles, and no vehicle could be sold that doesn’t get 20 MPG including trucks!
All semi-trucks should be using natural gas rather than gasoline but the truck lobby gives too many dollars to the President and his flunkies in Congress.
With every “green” fuel like wind, solar, bio, ethanol, the environmentalists find reasons to file lawsuits to stop or impede the products while the Congress and President try to fool us with statements of “off shore drilling” strategies while bowing to their constituents the environmentalists.
We need to replace every politician in congress and the President in order to have the people whom we put in do what WE WANT not what they want.
We want gasoline and to be free from all foreign fuels by 2015, term limits, no bills passed where Congress doesn’t have the same rules as us. We should not allow ourselves to be dominated by the left wing .
We need a higher Fed. fuels tax, both to help pay for America’s love of foreign wars and to reduce gasoline consumption. I suggest an immediate adult increase of $.50 per gallon.
Hahaha April fools? So what will be the fine collected by the government when these companies don’t meet these limits starting in 2016? Who will actually pay – the consumer or through the loss of jobs.
Who will pay when Chrysler & GM don’t meet the limits. Again the consumer or in their case the tax payer since we are the backers of these companies now.
I wish these clowns in DC would actually think beyond ways of trying to pay for programs linked to expansion of government and the man-made GW hoax.
Bush did it Bush did it! We inherited this (yep from Senator Obama to President Obama).
If we stayed on Carter’s path and NOT Reagan’s path we wouldn’t have a hard time achieving this… Carter wanted 27.5mpg CAFE standards by 1985…. Wait 25 years ago!!!
Not mentioned in this article is that lighter cars are less safe and this mandate will result in thousands more automobile fatalities. Some estimate that current CAFE standards already cause the deaths of thousands of Americans annually.
The other shoe to drop is the increase in emission standards for your existing vehicle. Since you won’t be able to legally drive your existing car (because you won’t be able to get a vehicle sticker w/o passing emission testing), you will be forced to buy a new car which meets the “standard”.
States and local municipalities will move the real estate transfer tax to the automobile purchase tax to soak you further.
There’s an awful lot of disinformation floating around here today. For the record: we *did* achieve 25.5mpg in 1985, GM and Chrysler will pay back their loans and return to proper non-government ownership long before this takes effect, fossil fuel consumption will still be prevalent fifty years from now whether you like it or not, and an EcoBoost engine can dance circles around the ancient lump in a ’70s Caddy.
The bigger problem is Washington’s lack of understanding in how automotive development works. It takes several years of time and billions of dollars for a typical passenger car powertrain to go from drawing board to production. (And in case you are wondering: this is the case for all major manufacturers, not just the domestics.) The last time legislation outpaced technology was the early 1970s, and it, combined with the oil embargoes, brought about the nadir of the entire industry.
You want to drop gas prices by $.40 a gallon in a year’s time? Mandate a common blend of gasoline. Illinois alone uses four different blends of the same 87-octane fuel depending on what region of the state you’re in, and for no good reason other than because various government bodies cannot agree on such things. This adds overhead.
You want to clean up pollution and cut fuel consumption with the vehicles already on the road? Mandate that people take proper care of their vehicles and crack down on the rust-bucket vehicles with non-functioning emissions control. Few things annoy me more than an enviro-weenie who gripes about SUVs when he himself is driving a P-O-S that generates a smoke screen as it goes down the street.
You want to see more fuel-efficient cars for sale? Start voting with your monthly payments. Car manufacturers aren’t in the business of trying to make cars people don’t want to buy. Don’t blame them for the SUV craze- they were just catering to the wants of their customers.
AdamWickPrk: “As more and more fuel efficient and electric vehicles enter the market, revenue from gas taxes will sharply decline….They’ll get you…somehow. ”
Very good observation, and I worry about a tax shift as well, BUT think of it this way. Sure, they might shift the tax elsewhere, but you’ll STILL be spending much less money on gas, so while your taxes output will likely remain the same since they’ll just foist the gas tax onto a different area (because that’s sadly how the government roles), you’ll still have more cash in your wallet when all is said and done. Your taxes would be roughly the same but your total expenditure will decrease.
The mileage standards might be a good idea, BUT, if so, this is something that should be passed by Congress– NOT decreed by unelected bureaucrates at EPA.
This is regulatory over-reach. Is C02 truly a pollutant? Do you pollute every time you exhale? If so, does the EPA have the authority to fine you for breathing too much??
Florida Jim,
My Toyota Tacoma gets 20+ MPG. And you should see how fast it can go!
Florida Jim: “We need to replace every politician in congress and the President in order to have the people whom we put in do what WE WANT not what they want.”
The President is elected to do what he feels is best for the country, NOT to do whatever the majority tells him to. If that were the case the Presidency would be redundant…we could just vote on every proposal and national decision.
And boy would our country be a mess if we did that.
In fact, part of the government’s job is to protect the country from the potential stupidity of the majority (see: The Bill of Rights). That’s why we HAVE leaders.
It Ammmmazes Me at the Tax crdits the car companies get
yet the cost goes up “Tax credit for HOV hence the &/* passenger SUV Among others that never seen to do any good for workers or consumers Tax Credit for 20/30 Mpgs May cost 1000 additional Problem is ‘If they build it we will buy without the tax credits Just do it REMEBER the OIL COMPANIES are NOT your friends and almost broke you Automakers the Thanks you can give is to Get the most out of Gallon/Liter
and starve the oil Cartels none came to the rescue when GM faulted That should be on the walls of GM “Remember this My Friend Big OIl didnot help / In the end it WAS the taxpayer/consumer Feed a taxpayer and Starve an Oil EXec
Because I remember my friends who helped and for get the ones who didn’t
It Ammmmazes Me at the Tax crdits the car companies get
yet the cost goes up “Tax credit for HOV hence the &/* passenger SUV Among others that never seen to do any good for workers or consumers Tax Credit for 20/30 Mpgs May cost 1000 additional Problem is ‘If they build it we will buy without the tax credits Just do it REMEBER the OIL COMPANIES are NOT your friends and almost broke you Automakers the Thanks you can give is to Get the most out of Gallon/Liter
and starve the oil Cartels none came to the rescue when GM faulted That should be on the walls of GM “Remember this My Friend Big OIl didnot help / In the end it WAS the taxpayer/consumer Feed a taxpayer and Starve an Oil EXec
Because I remember my friends who helped and for get the ones who didn’t
It Ammmmazes Me at the Tax crdits the car companies get
yet the cost goes up “Tax credit for HOV hence the &/* passenger SUV Among others that never seen to do any good for workers or consumers Tax Credit for 20/30 Mpgs May cost 1000 additional Problem is ‘If they build it we will buy without the tax credits Just do it REMEBER the OIL COMPANIES are NOT your friends and almost broke you Automakers the Thanks you can give is to Get the most out of Gallon/Liter
and starve the oil Cartels none came to the rescue when GM faulted That should be on the walls of GM “Remember this My Friend Big OIl didnot help / In the end it WAS the taxpayer/consumer Feed a taxpayer and Starve an Oil EXec
Because I remember my friends who helped and for get the ones who didn’t
It Ammmmazes Me at the Tax crdits the car companies get
yet the cost goes up “Tax credit for HOV hence the &/* passenger SUV Among others that never seen to do any good for workers or consumers Tax Credit for 20/30 Mpgs May cost 1000 additional Problem is ‘If they build it we will buy without the tax credits Just do it REMEBER the OIL COMPANIES are NOT your friends and almost broke you Automakers the Thanks you can give is to Get the most out of Gallon/Liter
and starve the oil Cartels none came to the rescue when GM faulted That should be on the walls of GM “Remember this My Friend Big OIl didnot help / In the end it WAS the taxpayer/consumer Feed a taxpayer and Starve an Oil EXec
Because I remember my friends who helped and for get the ones who didn’t
It Ammmmazes Me at the Tax crdits the car companies get
yet the cost goes up “Tax credit for HOV hence the &/* passenger SUV Among others that never seen to do any good for workers or consumers Tax Credit for 20/30 Mpgs May cost 1000 additional Problem is ‘If they build it we will buy without the tax credits Just do it REMEBER the OIL COMPANIES are NOT your friends and almost broke you Automakers the Thanks you can give is to Get the most out of Gallon/Liter
and starve the oil Cartels none came to the rescue when GM faulted That should be on the walls of GM “Remember this My Friend Big OIl didnot help / In the end it WAS the taxpayer/consumer Feed a taxpayer and Starve an Oil EXec
Because I remember my friends who helped and for get the ones who didn’t
It Ammmmazes Me at the Tax crdits the car companies get
yet the cost goes up “Tax credit for HOV hence the &/* passenger SUV Among others that never seen to do any good for workers or consumers Tax Credit for 20/30 Mpgs May cost 1000 additional Problem is ‘If they build it we will buy without the tax credits Just do it REMEBER the OIL COMPANIES are NOT your friends and almost broke you Automakers the Thanks you can give is to Get the most out of Gallon/Liter
and starve the oil Cartels none came to the rescue when GM faulted That should be on the walls of GM “Remember this My Friend Big OIl didnot help / In the end it WAS the taxpayer/consumer Feed a taxpayer and Starve an Oil EXec
Because I remember my friends who helped and for get the ones who didn’t
It Ammmmazes Me at the Tax crdits the car companies get
yet the cost goes up “Tax credit for HOV hence the &/* passenger SUV Among others that never seen to do any good for workers or consumers Tax Credit for 20/30 Mpgs May cost 1000 additional Problem is ‘If they build it we will buy without the tax credits Just do it REMEBER the OIL COMPANIES are NOT your friends and almost broke you Automakers the Thanks you can give is to Get the most out of Gallon/Liter
and starve the oil Cartels none came to the rescue when GM faulted That should be on the walls of GM “Remember this My Friend Big OIl didnot help / In the end it WAS the taxpayer/consumer Feed a taxpayer and Starve an Oil EXec
Because I remember my friends who helped and for get the ones who didn’t
It Ammmmazes Me at the Tax crdits the car companies get
yet the cost goes up “Tax credit for HOV hence the &/* passenger SUV Among others that never seen to do any good for workers or consumers Tax Credit for 20/30 Mpgs May cost 1000 additional Problem is ‘If they build it we will buy without the tax credits Just do it REMEBER the OIL COMPANIES are NOT your friends and almost broke you Automakers the Thanks you can give is to Get the most out of Gallon/Liter
and starve the oil Cartels none came to the rescue when GM faulted That should be on the walls of GM “Remember this My Friend Big OIl didnot help / In the end it WAS the taxpayer/consumer Feed a taxpayer and Starve an Oil EXec
Because I remember my friends who helped and for get the ones who didn’t
It Ammmmazes Me at the Tax crdits the car companies get
yet the cost goes up “Tax credit for HOV hence the &/* passenger SUV Among others that never seen to do any good for workers or consumers Tax Credit for 20/30 Mpgs May cost 1000 additional Problem is ‘If they build it we will buy without the tax credits Just do it REMEBER the OIL COMPANIES are NOT your friends and almost broke you Automakers the Thanks you can give is to Get the most out of Gallon/Liter
and starve the oil Cartels none came to the rescue when GM faulted That should be on the walls of GM “Remember this My Friend Big OIl didnot help / In the end it WAS the taxpayer/consumer Feed a taxpayer and Starve an Oil EXec
Because I remember my friends who helped and for get the ones who didn’t
KPO’M: “I knew that there had to be a “catch” for yesterday’s drilling announcement. Mandating a 40% increase in fuel economy, not by law and debate, but by executive fiat is just another power-grabbing move by this administration.”
First, of course, it’s called reciprocity. Secondly, how is this a bad thing?! You LIKE dependence on foreign oil? I don’t understand people like you. You are all for offshore drilling because it reduces our dependence on oil, but you oppose efficiency standards that do MORE to address the problem. You’re a hypocrite.
And where do you get the impression this is being done by “fiat”?! It doesn’t work that way. If you want to see illegal Presidential power grabbing, see the war in Iraq.
Problem with this rule is that most small fuel efficient vehicles which will have their production increased are not built in the US, they are built in Asia or Mexico, so this will only further weaken the US auto industry, manufacturing capacity and lead to more job losses for US workers (UAW and non-UAW).
No doubt U.S. consumers will end up paying the price to become less reliant on fossil fuels. And deservedly so. Why “deservedly so?” Because U.S. consumers all clamored for cars that were by relative standards 50% less fuel efficient/economical to fuel than 30 years ago. Just so they could beat their chests claiming they could drive whatever they wished to. And politicians resisted implementing high fuel taxes that could have paid for a modern public transport infrastructure and funding for development of alternative energy automobiles. So they could stay in office.
How true that it takes a couple of decades to develop alternative energy drivetrains. But the first OPEC oil embagro took place in 1974. Nearly 40 years have passed. Within 30 years of its founding a national space exploration program put a man on the moon. Within 25 years of the development of piston power for aircraft the jet engine was developed.
In Germany wind and solar energy supply nearly 15% of current electrical consumption in that country. By decades end those resources will supply 30% of Germany’s electric grid. In the U.S. fossil fuel still accounts for 95% of electric production.
In in the U.S. we have many addictions. An expectation of limitless, cheap petroleum whenever we please is right up there with drugs and alcohol. The longer we enable the addiction the harder (more costly) it will become to “kick the habit.
This can’t possibly apply to all trucks and cars.
So all sports cars will have to be over 35mpg?
And obviously the heavy duty pickup trucks won’t require this too, right?
brad:
Why should a Ford Mustang somehow be exempt from the standards? Or a Lariat F-350, with duallies?
It applies to everything. And their will be no E-85 flexible fuel exemption for pick-ups. Because hardly anyone ever used E-85 in their flexible fuel trucks and cars.
Even Porsche has already introduced hybrids and diesels for its top selling Cayenne SUV. Mercedes and BMW have hybrids for their S-Class and 7 series.
Companies will still be able to offset potential CAFE penalties (its not a tax) through Carbon offset trading, by building more energy efficient assembly plants. However in the short-term companies will be bringing diesels and gas-electric hybrids, along with the few EVs, to market. And to pay for development of these powerplants and the EV charging grid the price of all cars will rise by that estimated 12-15%.
2025 Headline – Government struggles with elecric grid stress, power plant polution, and environmental impact of Lithium Ion batteries.
inLaw – you if you are going to come here with your bs talking points at least be honest.
What has happened to these countries’ economies becasue of your statement (not even factual)? I am sure you are aware that these so called green initiative are almost completely paid for by taxes – meaning that they are government supported. Without that they could not produce 15% of jack. In fact they are not saving a darn thing they are losing massive money.
**
In Germany wind and solar energy supply nearly 15% of current electrical consumption in that country. By decades end those resources will supply 30% of Germany’s electric grid. In the U.S. fossil fuel still accounts for 95% of electric production.
MinisterR:
I am perfectly aware that taxes on fuel are used to pay for renewal energy development in Germany. But the taxes paid by Germans who consume petroleum significantly reduces the trade deficit Germany would otherwise would incur. What does the reduction in trade deficit accomplish? It makes it far less expensive for the German government to borrow money, a problem the U.S. now faces because we have a huge trade deficit.
The Germans (who along with the Japanese) started a World War 70 years ago partly to obtain access to foreign controlled petroleum. They learned their petroleum lesson the hard way. It’s a lesson we Americans haven’t yet learned.
Ever since the Germans reached a collective decision implemented by their lawmakers to move away from dependence on foreign natural resources. Sure the move away from petroleum requires taxes, just as the military we fund to have a presence near foreign controlled oil fields requires U.S. tax money.
If they’re not going to exempt sports cars, then you’ve just taken a whole lot of money out of the auto industry.
I wish the damned government’s geniuses would quit stirring the stinky pot and leave stuff alone for a while.
“Ford’s EcoBoost in the Taurus…sure it gives really good fuel efficiency. Like 15 mpg on city driving. Yeah my Dad’s 1977 Caddy got 15 mpg.” Your dads 70’s era barge also pumped out massive levels of pollution and was not required to have an array of “safety” features. Not to worry, Ralphie Nader and Al Gore have been making this all electric car with miracle battery at a really low price that goes 200 miles … ooops, sorry, not them or Mikey Moore either. Some embrace higher fuel standards for enviornmental or national security or economic reasons … or just to give a one fingered salute to Comrade Chavez. However, note to readers .. those stratospheric european fuel prices have nothing to do with the price of oil, they are closer to the sources than we are (and cover for them, of course). Similar to the new CAFE mandates, it will be interesting to see how the support of “change” goes with the New Democrat suburban mini van mommies when the full implications of cap n’ trade hits their HVAC costs for the McMansion, never mind higher CAFE.
I’m a big guy (310 lbs) so I need an SUV, but I think average weight people should drive smaller cars with better fuel economy. It makes sense to protect the earth from global climate change.
brad:
Personal sporty cars made up less than 10% of total U.S. car sales even before the recession. SUVs made up a vastly greater number of U.S. car sales and we all know what has since happened to that segment.
Not to worry though. There already are a fair amount of diesel sporty cars either in the U.S. market or in the pipeline. Most are initially coming from non-U.S. manufacturers like VW, Audi, BMW, Mercedes with Japanese to follow shortly.
VW is the most ambituous shooting for diesels to account for 30% of U.S. sales by 2015.
In recent years even the famed LeMans circuit, once ruled by the Ford GT40, the Gulf Porsche 917s (of Steve McQueen fame) and Ferrari, is now dominated by diesel Audi R series and Peugeot 908 series race cars.
By 2015 pretty much every model of car sold in the U.S. will be available with some sort of diesel or gas-electric hybrid version. There is little doubt that Ford’s venerable Mustang will get a gas-electric hybrid powertrain. Fisker will have its first gas-electric hybrids in production by 2011.
Even with gasoline engines, Audi has been able to come pretty close to meeting the upcoming CAFE mandates with its turbocharged, VVEL, 1998 cc motors used in the Audi TT-R and soon to appear in VW’s R models.
When it comes to high-end sports cars/ super cars most of the next generation will either be a plug-in electric/ fuel cell electric/ or gas/diesel- electric hybrid.
Tesla’s supercars, based on the Lotus Elise, are plug-in EVs that hit 60 in 4 seconds.
Audi is touting a plug-in electric version of its famed R sports car. RUF, a modifier of Porsches, has developed a plug-in 911, and Ferrari claims its next gen. cars will get AWD via electric motors at all wheels.
If Americans would just show interest in diesel automobiles, we would save hundreds of millions of gallons of oil. My next new car would be diesel, if Cadillac made one. Until then, my 94 Cadillac Seville gets 27mpg on the expressway. I keep it in tip-top shape and had it tuned for efficiency. We are at least 50 years from developing cheap, green automobile technology. The current generation of ‘eco’ cars just are too expensive and unreliable. All these people buying hybrids to save the planet don’t realize that those massive battery packs are incredibly toxic. Some auto manufacturers say they ‘recycle’ the old batteries, but to the extent they say is impossible. And after the automobile industry develops new tech, oil-free airplanes are at least 200 years away.
right KPO’M, because cleaning up the air we and our children breath, while helping consumers save money over the long run is so very horrible of this administration.
for someone who averages 30 miles of driving per day, this will save them about 115 gallons of gas per year (assuming they’re going from 25mpg to 35mpg). Even right wingers can agree that this is a positive for consumers, health-care costs (children with breathing problems) and lessons our dependency of oil (and the Middle East).
in-law, You mixed apples and oranges my friend. The fossil fuel sources used to generate electricity are carbon (coal) based, not petroleum (oil) based.
The US will still have an addiction to petroleum until a suitable battery can be developed. Unfortunately we are staring at 3 strikes before we get to the plate:
1) Not enough raw resources to make the volume of batteries forecasted.
2) No conservation model in place for discarded batteries (short shelf life now)
3) Not enough power on the grid to meet the increase in demand.
I agree that clean energy sources need to be developed for commercial use, but we are stil a ways off for vehicular travel purposes
@inLaw “Because hardly anyone ever used E-85 in their flexible fuel trucks and cars.”
I had a FFV and never used E-85 in it because as the price of gasoline went sky high above $4/gallon the price of E-85 increased just as much to match.
You would think that being in the middle of the corn belt where they had bumper crops some years that at some point E-85 would have been cheaper to use than gasoline but it never happened.
ethan:
No dispute from me that coal fed furnaces driving turbines provide the abundance of the globes electricity.
What makes coal and petro both apples or oranges is that both resources are non-renewable fossil fuels which when consumed emit toxic hydrocarbons and nitrates.
My example was to demonstrate that the U.S., given all her financial and industrial might, significantly lags other industrialized nations in developing and implementing cohesive and comprehensive renewable energy programs.
The amazing fact is that American companies such as Dow Corning and GE do innovate in renewable energy but cannot find any US buyers for the technology due to the very lack of such a policy.
It is true that work remains to be done if the objective is to make batteries charged off the electric mains the primary means of powering vehicles. Especially when it comes to conservation of rare earth metals. The fact is manufacturers only expect mains charged (Plug-In) EVs to comprise about 10% of registered cars in the US by decades end. Plug-in EVs and gas-electric hybrids are likely going to end up being a bridge to the long-term future which will lie in fuel cell (hydrogen) electric propulsion.