How long does one think that Congress will have to do a tiptoe dance around the under currents of an auto and oil industry filibustering or otherwise halting what most consider to be progressive technology that is good for global commerce and mother earth.
With all the technological advances of automobiles being adept at sustaining a high power vehicle on 80 to100 miles per gallon, the notion that Congress spends precious and wasteful dollars on trying to increase fuel mileage standards by 1.
8 miles per gallon, i.
e from 22.
2 to 24 miles per gallon for model years 2008 and 2011 is a comedy of laughable but pitiful errors and an insult to US tax payers' intelligence (History of Fuel, 2009).
This lack of insight and leadership for energy independence flies in the face of every American citizen.
The topic of energy independence and fuel conservation stems back to World War II and resurfaced in the early 1970s when the cost of fuel surged.
In 1973, Carroll L.
Wilson, who represented the Council of Foreign Relations, expressed a national energy emergency indicating a need to alter fuel sources.
With American's use of 33% of the world's energy, cars that used twice as much fuel as European vehicles and the need to keep homes extra warm or exceptionally cool, he believed that American's lack of conservation measures and extravagant wasteful use of energy would create unnecessary dependence of foreign fuels and an "enormous foreign-exchange drain" with the Middle East (Wilson, 1973).
The indicators of fuel efficiency and electric cars stem back in history to the 19th century and commercially became obsolete when Ford created the more economical gas driven vehicle in the 1930s.
The base technology of battery driven vehicles is over 100 years old but the market never allowed for it to flourish nor was there financial support for the technology to be researched at its fullest.
Fuel economy standards were not of significant concern until the price of oil elevated in the early 1970s, at which time the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) proposed a vehicle efficiency bill that required auto makers to manufacture models with 27.
5 mpg within 10 years.
Unfortunately, the veto of this bill by Senate and a continuous drag of filibusters created severe stagnation in the auto industry.
Forty years later Congress is still chewing on the bit to pass a bill upping the anti to 24 mpg.
What a sad commentary about the auto industry and congressional will power.
Help is around the corner and answers to the energy efficiency solution are imminent.
Mercedes Benz sets the bar with its fuel efficient Mercedes-Benz Bionic concept vehicle topping 84 miles per gallon (Efficient Energy Use, 2009) which is close to a 400% increase in miles per gallon versus the 2% increase in auto efficient standards Congress passed in 2006.
General Motors unveiled its aerodynamic efficient Precept with 108 mpg in 2000(GM Unveils, 2000), but where is it? Coupled with eco-driving techniques of gliding, accelerating and stopping at a slower pace, the Ford Fusion Hybrid most recently topped 80 miles per gallon traveling 1000 miles on 2/3 of a tank of gas (Abuelsamid, 2009).
The Axon, manufactured in the UK, has a body created with carbon fiber allowing for gas efficiency of 80 to 100 mpg (The Fueling Station, 2008).
The Toyota Prius touts 50 mpg efficiency.
The math is there, the brains and science is evident and the evolutionary progress is obvious.
Now is the time to pressure Congress for higher efficiency auto standards that should model 80 mpg as the current benchmark, not a mere level of 35 mpg that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) proposed.
They can make a mark or drag their feet, but they should remember historical evidence is not on their side and to do nothing or propose substandard efficiencies will make them look less than foolish.
They should also remember they represent all Americans not just a few privileged businesses.