19 February 2008
U.S. Producers Poised To Make More Efficient, Cleaner Vehicles
Support from government, partnerships is a key to success
This article is the second in a two-part series on future auto technologies.
Washington -- With support from the government and cooperation from related industries, U.S.-based automakers can make a transition to more fuel-efficient and environmentally friendly autos, auto industry executives and experts say.
Technological hurdles, though real, are surmountable, they say.
The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 sets a national fuel economy standard of 35 miles (56.3 kilometers) per gallon by 2020, a 40 percent increase over the current standard, and requires fuel producers to supply at least 36 billion gallons (136 billion liters) of biofuels a year by 2023, a sevenfold increase over 2006 production.
Meeting the fuel-economy goal will require improvements in conventional internal combustion engines, mass production of flexible fuel ("flex fuel") vehicles and widespread acceptance by the market of electric plug-ins, according to Reginald Modlin of Chrysler LLC.
Flexible fuel autos run on a blend of gasoline and ethanol known as E85. Plug-in electric vehicles ultimately can rely solely on electricity produced by batteries, which can be recharged from an external electrical outlet.
Successful commercialization of the electric car technology, which Modlin views as essential to meeting the fuel-economy standard, will happen only if significant advances are made, particularly if the range and recharge time of batteries can be extended.
Automakers leave no doubt that they expect the government to give them more support during the transition. Jon Lauckner, a vice-president of General Motors Company, told America.gov that the automakers would like the government to spend more funds on research and development, encourage the expansion of fueling and recharging infrastructure and commit to early purchases of advanced vehicles for government fleets.
David Garman, a former U.S. Energy Department under secretary, told America.gov that the federal government should do more to help the industry advance the next generation of vehicles because what Washington expects the industry to do will benefit the public good. Most studies indicate that it makes more economic sense for the government to get involved in the early stages of technology development than to impose solutions or mandates later, said Garman, who now works at Decker, Garman, Sullivan and Associates, LLC, a consulting firm that deals with science, technology, energy and environmental issues.
Automakers seek partnerships with companies in related industries to accelerate the transition, experts say. For example, in June 2007, Ford Motor Company announced a deal with a California utility to install rechargeable batteries in 20 Ford Escape sport utility vehicles. General Motors touts its partnership with Coskata Energy, a biofuel company. Coskata claims it can produce ethanol from biomass, municipal solid waste and other cellulosic material at much lower cost and in a more environmentally friendly way than most of its competitors.
Garman said the government also can put together more public-private partnerships, which can help solve problems for different entities involved in the auto market. For example, he said, the government can work with companies to expand the fueling infrastructure in the United States. Oil companies are reluctant to expand the number of ethanol fueling stations until automakers put more vehicles on the road that use ethanol. Automakers counter that there already are millions of flex fuel cars on the road, yet only 1 percent of fueling stations sell E85 blend.
The move toward more efficient, nonpetroleum-fueled vehicles is likely to reduce the dependence of the U.S. economy on petroleum. However, climate change benefits are less certain, experts say. For example, two recent reports cast doubt on biofuels as a way of addressing global-warming concerns. Depending on how and from what materials biofuels are produced, they can increase rather than decrease greenhouse gas emissions, according to reports published in the February issue of Science magazine.
Experts also say that climate change benefits of electric cars will depend on the composition of fuels used by the power-generating industry.
See also "U.S. Automakers Follow Different Paths to Advanced Vehicles."
