The
Chevy Volt: A reason for Congress to take it easy on fuel
economy and CAFE legislation?
Thursday,
July 19, 2007
A
tool to fight CAFE legislation?
GM will take a Chevy
Volt hybrid to Congress today to try to convince some
undecided members of Congress "why
the company believes the long-term answer to energy
independence is through biofuels and the electrification
of the automobile, rather than spending tens of billions
of dollars to meet 4 percent annual corporate average fuel
efficiency." (more)
Well, if the Volt is a real technology, then doesn't GM
have the technology to meet even the most strict CAFE
requirements? It's not as if GM is required to meet the
new CAFE requirements immediately. Besides, isn't this the
same excuse GM has used for decades against CAFE, except
with fuel cell vehicles?
Even the technology powering today's hybrid
vehicles almost meets the CAFE requirements set for
2020. The next generation of hybrid technology will
certainly meet these requirements.
Today, America is as dependent upon foreign oil as 20
years ago, despite the assurances from automakers then
that increasing fuel economy would prevent technologies,
such as fuel cells, from freeing America from foreign oil.
Well, Detroit, where are the fuel cell vehicles promised?
Ultimately, the Big 3 didn't live up to their end of the
bargain, and the dangers of foreign oil dependency have
since increased significantly. Can America afford to take
the same risk again?
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