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A happy Autumn to everyone. As you’ll see, a running theme inadvertently emerged in this month’s issue. I guess it’s because there seems to be such a frustrating dichotomy between some of the exciting technological advances for future vehicles, and the relative stagnation in efforts to make today’s vehicles more fuel efficient. You’ll see that many of these articles circled back to a similar point. I’ll let you read on to figure out what that point is, and whether you agree.
Let’s get to it,
Scott Nathanson
UCS National Field Organizer &
HybridCenter.org Administrator
In this issue:
In the first decision given in the multiple lawsuits filed by the automakers to block implementation of California’s clean car standards, a federal judge in Vermont rejected automaker claims that they don't have the technology to meet the new standards. The judge ruled that the states can regulate global warming pollution from vehicles. The ruling is a major win for California and the dozen other states currently taking meaningful steps to address tailpipe emissions. Judge William Sessions III noted,
History suggests that the ingenuity of the industry, once put in gear, responds admirably to most technological challenges. In light of the public statements of industry representatives, history of compliance with previous technological challenges, and the state of the record, the Court remains unconvinced automakers cannot meet the challenges of Vermont and California's GHG regulations.
 Sounds a lot like our “engineers, not lawyers” argument we’ve been making as part of our Automakers v. The People campaign, eh? As you know, we’ve shown that building cleaner cars is quite doable through our Vanguard vehicle design, using existing technologies and fuels to reduce global warming pollution by over 40 percent while saving consumers money at the pump.
The automakers are currently 0-2 after losing their case to keep the federal government from regulating global warming pollution from the automotive sector. Now, the attention turns to a similar lawsuit pending in California and an upcoming federal rulemaking on greenhouse-gas controls. If sufficiently stringent, this federal rulemaking could be an excellent compliment to the California standards. If they are too weak or set damaging precedents, the rules could be used as a pretext to deny the waiver the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) must grant for states to implement the clean car program. For more, visit our Automakers v. the People page.
General Motors’ media blitz doesn’t seem to be cooling off anytime soon. The automaker, seeking to boost its green image, launched a major ad campaign which includes a commercial for the Chevy Volt plug-in hybrid—a full three years before it's ever supposed to roll off the factory floor. While the GM Volt and other high-mpg concept “vehicles of tomorrow” dominate the headlines and auto blogs, less notice is being paid to broader automaker commitments to improve vehicle fleets. For example, this year, Chrysler announced plans to increase fuel efficiency by at least five percent across its vehicle lineup through aerodynamic, weight reduction, and drivetrain improvements. Similarly, Ford has pledged to convert 80 to 90 percent of its North American vehicle lineup from hydraulic to electric power steering within four years. This will enable a more than one mpg fuel economy increase and reduce ownership and overall production costs.
 The development of advanced vehicle technology, like fuel cells and electric drive, is both necessary and exciting—but a narrow focus on advanced technology that may or may not work can serve to distract us from incorporating the conventional, proven technologies already available today.
Across-the-board fuel economy improvements, not concept or limited-production 100-mpg vehicles, are the key to reducing U.S. oil dependence and saving consumers money at the pump. As much as we hybrid owners like to show-off our gas-thrifty vehicles, at the end of the day this is about reducing the total amount of oil used and global warming pollution emitted fleet wide—it has to be.
That’s where standards like sized-based Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards come in. Standards don’t allow automakers, or the public for that matter, to place all their eggs in one long-term, uncertain basket. They make sure that we continue to maximize the technologies we have today, whether they get their own ad spot or not. That way, hybrid technology, and other leading edge fuel saving devices, are contributing most to an overall movement forward, and not just swimming against the gas-guzzling tide.
- Chrysler jumpstarts its hybrid development program: Under the leadership of Jim Press, recently plucked from Toyota USA, Chrysler is creating a new department (ENVI, short for environment) to research, develop, and move quickly on a new generation of environmentally responsible vehicles. His goal is to make the newly private automaker more competitive. ENVI will focus on electric drive vehicles and other advanced-propulsion technology. Although no timeframe has been announced for the production of the new vehicles under ENVI, the Dodge Durango and Chrysler Aspen “two-mode” hybrid SUVs (both looking awfully muscular) are due in showrooms next year. For more information, visit the Hybrid News Center.
- Hybrid sales boom in the Midwest: According to the latest R.L. Polk & Co. report, sales of new hybrid vehicles were up 49 percent during the first seven months of this year, largely due to a 57 percent increase in Midwest hybrid sales. Oklahoma experienced the largest increase in hybrid registrations, up 143 percent compared to the same seven-month period in 2006. It is expected that U.S. hybrid sales will exceed two percent of all vehicle sales by the end of this year. To learn more, visit the Hybrid News Center.
- Fisker Automotive enters the plugin hybrid race: Another automotive group has entered the race to develop and mass-produce the first, next-generation plugin hybrid. Fisker Automotive, a newly created venture of Fisker Coachbuild LLC and Quantum Technologies, will debut its first production “eco-chic” plugin hybrid at next year’s Detroit Auto Show. Fisker Automotive’s luxury hybrid will cost under $100,000 and could become a direct competitor to the Tesla Roadster, which should roll out this fall. For more information, visit the Hybrid News Center.
As many of you know, I am a Prius owner, and I love my car. My wife and I average about 45 miles per gallon in it, and its performance and reliability have, as Toyota would hope, built some brand loyalty. Their impressive performance in our latest automaker rankings, finishing a close second to Honda while manufacturing a full line of vehicles from compact cars to large pickups, has made me even more respectful.
Well, right now they’re doing their darndest to make me reconsider my position.
 The first issue is pretty clear, and one we’ve discussed before—muscle hybrids. I don’t think I need to go into any detail on this given our whole 2007 Earth Day Challenge was centered on this subject. And this article about their future Lexus Hybrid as well as a new "super efficient model" isn't making me feel much better. Although I would do cartwheels for a "super fuel efficient" model--I think it's fair to assume that we'll see many more muscle hybrids before anything like this hits the road. Most of the news coming from Toyota on hybrid development revolves around Lithium Ion battery development and the test plugin hybrids they’re doing in Japan and the United States. That’s nice, but as I’ve said before, more important than developing the new super fuel-efficient silver bullet is to make sure automakers are using existing technology as widely as possible in their fleet. That goes for conventional technologies like cylinder deactivation and variable valve timing, and it goes for current hybrid technology as well.
 This point brings me back to the Senate-passed increase in Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards—the laws that ensure that fuel saving technologies are used more widely. The Senate 35 miles per gallon by 2020 standards, passed as part of the Energy Bill in June, would save nearly 1.2 million barrels of oil per day by 2020—representing more than half of current U.S. oil imports from the entire Persian Gulf. At the same time, it would save Americans $25 billion at the gas pump and prevent more than 200 million tons of global warming pollution from entering the atmosphere. It would also create more than 170,000 U.S. jobs in that time period.
And this brings me full circle to Toyota. Toyota is currently complying with fuel economy standards in Japan set to reach nearly 46 miles per gallon in U.S. terms by 2010. But here in America, they have decided to throw in their lot with the Detroit three and actively lobby against the Senate’s proposed 35 mpg standards by 2020. Instead, they have thrown their support behind an industry-crafted bill—H.R. 2927—that does nothing to cut our oil dependence, saving just 9 days worth of oil each year when fully enacted.
As I noted earlier in this newsletter, I know at the end of the day, fuel economy is not just about saving me money at the pump, it’s about reducing the number of gallons of oil burned and global warming pollution we emit. A pocket of fuel efficient hybrids is not enough to show a company’s commitment to addressing oil dependence and climate change. And when the rubber hit the road, Toyota decided on a “can’t do” approach in America that undermines my faith in them as a company, and my loyalty to them as a consumer.
If you share my frustration with Toyota, please head over to our action center and tell Toyota USA President Shigeru Hayakawa that he can’t have it both ways.
The fun and games of the 2007 Frankfurt Auto Show kicked off again this year in September, and as has been the trend lately, the automakers used the show to highlight a lot of their green concept models, many of which were hybrids.
That said, I love how Neil Winton of the Detroit News described the show:
The Frankfurt car show this year will be a bit like a Speakeasy in the 1920s. Clustered at the front of the stands, all you will see are green, responsible, under-powered cars which emit only tiny amounts of the despised, barely legal carbon dioxide (CO2).
But those in the know, with a nod and a wink, will be able to see the real stuff at the back which will squeal its tires, break speed limits, ford rivers, and spew out huge amounts of CO2.
 Yes, there were a lot of exciting concept hybrids, many of which we highlighted in our Hybrid Timeline. Most exciting to me was not the plugin hybrid, but Citroën’s Smart C-Cactus hybrid. Why you say, when GM and Peugeot both debuted diesel hybrid models, and Volvo brought a plugin that it says can go up to 60 miles on battery power alone?
Call me a cheapskate, but I care less about the bells and whistles and more about whether automakers can create technologies that could actually make it to market in order to make a dent in oil use and emissions. The Cactus hybrid was focused not on complexity, but on simplicity, or getting the number of components down—something Toyota has been talking about wanting to do with their Hybrid Synergy Drive for a while now. The Cactus has fewer than 200 parts, a solid achievement that would make this gas thrifty vehicle price out competitively with the average family car.
It’s fun to see what automotive technology can do, but innovation should not be saved for concept models. The future must be now in order for drivers to be able to truly play a part, en masse, in curbing oil use and climate change.
Check it out, our first Mazda Tribute Hybrid sighting!
 Danoby Ortiz of Las Vegas, NV loves his new 2008 Mazda Tribute Hybrid. He states, “I feel lucky to own it. I get a huge SUV without the gas guzzling associated with it!”
 Stefan Furst of Vancouver, WA recently took his Toyota Prius on an adventure to Gold Beach. He got about 35 mpg, which he admits is “better than getting 15 mpg on any SUV.” 35 mpg seems about right with the Prius loaded down like that!
If you own one of these models (or any hybrid model) or know of anyone who does, please remember to tell them to submit their testimonials today!
That’s it for this month. I encourage all DCN members to give Toyota an earful this month, and, while you’re at it, remind your legislators that a strong Energy Bill is the only Energy Bill worth considering.
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