|
Hi there everyone, I hope your October has been a good one, and that you’ve picked out those Halloween costumes by now. My boys are headed out as the Batman and Obi-Wan Kenobi. As you’ll see in this month’s update, I believe we’ve put a little scare into Toyota for their stance against real improvements to Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards. And, to belabor the reference, we’re about to find out if Congress will give us the CAFE treat we’ve been wanting, or if the automakers tricks will prevail. All that, and freaky hybrid concepts from Tokyo!
Read on, if you dare…
Scott Nathanson
UCS National Field Organizer &
HybridCenter.org Administrator
In this issue:
 Quite likely, by the time I send out the next DCN newsletter, the dust will have settled, and an Energy Bill will be in front of President Bush. Of course, the $64,000 question is whether the Senate-passed provision mandating a 35 miles per gallon Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standard by 2020 will be in the final version of the bill. Right now House and Senate staffers are going through all the provisions of the bill, but are leaving the larger issues like fuel economy and the renewable electricity standard passed by the House to the very end.
Both House and Senate Democratic leaders have expressed their support for the 35 mpg standard in the final bill. And at this point, even the automakers have conceded, at least rhetorically, that an increase in fuel economy is inevitable. Indeed, such was the response from Toyota after we took the Prius-maker’s "green halo" to task for lobbying against the Senate fuel economy provision. More than 18,000 DCN and UCS activists sent letters to Toyota and I’m sure many of you received their automated response chiding you for being “misinformed” about their stance on fuel economy. In response, they attempt to hide behind the auto industry’s do-nothing alternative—the Hill-Terry bill (H.R. 2927)—and their track record of improving the efficiency of their vehicles.
Our own research director, David Friedman, visited Toyota’s blog, where he made the following response to the company’s claims:
I'm the research director for the Union of Concerned Scientists' Clean Vehicles Program. It's a bit disingenuous for you to cherry-pick statements from our Automaker Rankings report to defend Toyota's environmental lobbying record, especially since our rankings were based on 2005 data. It is true that Toyota's global warming score did improve for the 2005 model year, but preliminary numbers from the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration show you may be backsliding. Fuel economy for your domestically produced car fleet is projected to fall by three miles per gallon and your trucks are projected to fall by 0.5 mpg while all other major automakers show improvement.
But even if you are just running in place or moving forward a bit, you are actively working to stop the country as a whole from making progress on our oil addiction, global warming pollution, and high consumer costs at the pump. You have sued, and lost, to try to stop California's vehicle global warming pollution standards and you are actively opposing the Senate's modest fuel economy bill.
It's also surprising to hear you parrot the Detroit line that Congress's proposed fuel economy standards are too high "for all competitors." Nissan seems to disagree as they supported the bill. All of the major automakers have the technology today to meet a 35 mpg fleet average by 2018 in the United States without breaking a sweat.
I made my case for why Toyota’s response was woeful over at HybridBlog, but David and I aren’t the only ones who weren’t overly-enamored by Toyota’s response. I wanted to pass along a response from climate scientist Eric Rehm in Seattle that gets pretty much down to it:
Toyota,
Your support of the H.R. 2927 (Hill-Terry) is not acceptable to me as a Toyota customer.
The goals of the Hill-Terry bill are substantially weaker than what has already been passed by the U.S. Senate as well those proposed by President Bush. Therefore, you should not be presenting H.R. 2927 and its goals (e.g., 32 mpg by 2022) to your customers (Prius or otherwise) as a "plan of action" with respect to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, oil savings, or any other measure.
The nation's top scientists and engineers estimate that a 37 mpg fleet by 2017 is not only feasible, but cost effective. Instead, H.R. 2927 would set feeble targets for slow improvements in fuel economy, only 32 mpg by 2022. You should get onboard with U.S. scientists’ and engineers’ goals (37 mpg by 2017), or at minimum, H.R. 1506 (Markey-Platts) which mandates 35 mpg by 2018. Imagine what that would do for your public image.
From my viewpoint as a climate scientist, your support of Hill-Terry effectively puts you on record as "no action"; it is effectively a Toyota corporate endorsement of a business-as-usual GHG scenario. While Markey-Platts would reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 264 M metric tons CO2-equivilant, Hill-Terry would only reduce GHG emissions less than 1/3 that amount (85 M metric tons CO2-equivilant).
Shame on you Toyota for attempting to present your inaction as action.
 Toyota is not the only automaker that is feeling the heat and changing their rhetoric. Ford President Alan Mulally just made an “under the radar” trip to Washington, D.C. for private meetings with members of Congress to talk about fuel economy. Unlike the very public and very unsuccessful trip he and other Detroit automakers made to Capitol Hill in June, this trip featured no planned press and spouted quotes such as; “Ford is absolutely committed to providing our customers with vehicles they really want and value. That is why improving the fuel economy of our vehicles and securing energy independence is important and that is why we fully support increases in CAFE.” Of course, that “increase” in CAFE Ford is supporting is the feeble Hill-Terry bill, not the Senate-passed 35 mpg provision.
At the end of the day, however, there is little doubt that what the Detroit automakers and their allies really want is to plant just enough doubt about their ability to meet increased fuel economy standards to see if they can just make CAFE disappear from the Energy Bill all together. This is why they continue to bang the Hill-Terry drum in the House and continue to get their Senate allies to craft letters expressing “concern” that the Senate changes in CAFE structure may harm the domestic automakers. Of course, the facts show clearly that the changes in the system will actually be to Detroit’s advantage. A recent University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute analysis estimated that under the Senate plan, Ford, Chrysler, and General Motors’ fleets would have to reach only about a 33 mpg average due to their heavy mix of pickups and SUVs—while Honda and other manufacturers that rely more on cars would have to reach more than 39 mpg in 2020.
Passage of a strong Energy Bill that includes a 35 mile per gallon fuel economy standard could be a historic moment for U.S. transportation. The automaker lobbyists are running out of time—and excuses—to try and push back the tide. That said, every last message makes a difference, so if you haven’t already, please tell your members of Congress not to buy into last-ditch automaker excuses and to pass a strong Energy Bill today.
 Hybrid Perks Update: In August, Honda reached the 60,000 vehicle cap, signaling the eventual phase-out of the federal hybrid tax credit. Similarly, the federal tax hybrid credit for qualified Toyota vehicles ended last month. Despite the winding down of the federal incentives, more localities are seeking to provide hybrid vehicle perks to their communities. For example, the city council of Ferndale, MI voted to renew an ordinance allowing free parking at city meters for drivers of hybrids and other vehicles that average 30 mpg or more in city driving. Similarly, officials in Manchester, CT are considering a hybrid tax credit that would allow for a tax exemption of up to $5,000 off the vehicle's assessed value. The Port of San Diego also recently designated six parking spaces for the exclusive use by hybrid vehicles. For more information, check out the HybridCenter Incentives page.
- Automakers Vie to Become Next Green-Technology Leader: While General Motors continues to aggressively move forward its promotion and production schedule for the Chevy Volt plug-in electric vehicle, other automakers have mapped out more cautious plugin strategies. Honda recently announced its global hybrid sales goal of 450,000 units a year by 2010 and views electric vehicles, not plugins, as a better way to employ low-cost, safe, and high-performing lithium-ion batteries. Similarly, Toyota has challenged GM’s plugin focus, noting the relatively limited environmental benefits of its design and the need for major improvements in battery technology before the vehicle can enter mass production. Nissan is excited about the future of electric vehicles, but share’s Honda’s plugin sentiments, and is even more dubious on the future of biofuels. To learn more, visit the Hybrid News Center.
- Hybrids Top New Fuel Economy Rankings: The 2008 Fuel Economy Guide ranked seven hybrids in its top 10 list of the most fuel-efficient vehicles, and hybrids grabbed all of the top five spots. The Toyota Prius topped the rankings, followed by the Honda Civic Hybrid, Nissan Altima Hybrid, and the Toyota Camry Hybrid, followed by the Ford triplets: the Escape Hybrid, Mazda Tribute Hybrid, and Mercury Mariner Hybrid. The 2008 rankings are based on estimates using the latest EPA fuel economy tests. To view the full rankings, visit the Hybrid News Center.
At this month’s Tokyo Motor Show, automakers from around the world exhibited more than 500 models ranging from gas-guzzling, muscle cars to futuristic, green concepts. Make no doubt that while the gas guzzlers were there, the automakers were all about showing off the green.
 Toyota—always the big fish in its own back yard—rolled out the eco-chic concepts under the banner of “Harmonious Drive—a New Tomorrow for People and the Planet.” Among the closer-to-production concepts were the Crown sedan hybrid, a large, rear-wheel drive vehicle somewhat akin to the Avalon—a vehicle that, like the Estima Hybrid minivan, is not available in the U.S. There was also the large, muscular, and stylish Lexus LF-Xh Hybrid SUV, as well as the V6 FT-HS Hybrid sport car concept.
On the more “avant-garde” side, the automaker revealed three plugin hybrid concepts. The 1/X concept plugin hatchback weighs a third as much as the current Prius and achieves double its fuel efficiency—an estimated combined 90-plus mpg. The weight-reduction is partly due to the use of high-strength, carbon-fiber materials which also improves the structural safety of the vehicle.
 Going for the “coolness” factor is the Hi-CT plugin “urban truck” complete with removable trunk. Last but not least was the Toyota RiN—a box-shaped plugin hybrid designed to make its occupants “feel more in harmony with nature.” Its features are designed to promote occupant wellbeing and include an oxygen-level conditioner, a pinpoint humidifier, and a steering wheel that reads the driver’s mood and displays relevant images based on his psychological state.
It’s interesting that Toyota would roll out three plugin hybrid concepts despite their enduring skepticism of plugin hybrids’ future. While they may or may not be right, I find it quite ironic that their “can’t do” spin on plugin hybrids and GM’s Volt is strikingly similar to what GM was saying about hybrids like the Prius a few years back. We’ll see what the future holds, but the irony of this rhetorical flip isn’t lost on me.
Toyota’s Tokyo display also served as a stark reminder of the sharp difference in the fuel efficiency of the vehicles the automaker offers consumers in Japan versus in the United States. While Toyota produces vehicles for Japan’s market to meet stringent fuel economy standards that will reach 46 mpg by 2010, they still lobby against a Senate compromise that would bring America 35 mpg standards by 2020. While I’m delighted that Toyota executives are starting to see the light about a hybrid minivan for America, that is little comfort when they work to scuttle standards that would give drivers more fuel efficient options in every vehicle class.
Okay, I know, enough with Toyota—there were other automakers at the Tokyo show as well.
 Honda got pretty practical at the show, not only showing off their vehicles, but telling folks when they’d hit the road. It looks like 2008 will bring Honda’s FCX hydrogen fuel cell sedan to market, likely in limited numbers due to the lack of a hydrogen fueling infrastructure. ’08 will also debut the four cylinder Honda CR-Z hybrid sports car. That hybrid will be followed in ’09 by their “global hybrid” family car—the dedicated hybrid model designed to compete with the Prius. While the CR-Z and FCX were on display in Tokyo, the “global hybrid” is still under wraps.
 Nissan continued to show off its electric-car advances after the success of their Mixim EV concept at the Frankfurt Auto Show with the Pivo 2. This lithium-powered electric concept vehicle is a bubble-shaped, three-seater commuter car with a 360-degree rotating cabin and multi-directional wheels. The second generation concept has been upgraded to include a dashboard-mounted “Robotic Agent” designed to engender feelings of affection and trust to cheer up the driver.
Not allowing the Japanese companies to have all the fun, Audi unveiled the A1 Metroproject Quattro a four-seat plugin hybrid the company says can get up to 60 miles on battery power alone. Fuel economy is said to be approximately 57 mpg (on the Japanese scale) and carbon emissions a low 112g/km.
Lots of fun concepts in Tokyo—should be interesting to see if the increasingly green focus continues to rule the auto show world when attention turns back to Los Angeles and Detroit in a few months time.
Last month I shared the exciting news that the clean car standards adopted by 12 states so far to reduce global warming pollution from autos by 30 percent over the next decade were upheld by a Vermont judge.
While a similar lawsuit remains in California, the biggest obstacle to moving these standards forward—whether it is in the dozen states that have adopted, three states that are in the adoption process (Arizona, Florida, and New Mexico), or in states that just want to consider the standards—is the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). For years, the EPA has refused to issue California the waiver it needs under the Clean Air Act to implement its global warming standards for cars.
The April Supreme Court decision mandating action on automotive global warming pollution from autos under the Clean Air Act combined with the September Vermont decision makes it pretty clear that the EPA lacks the justification to further delay the waiver. It looks likely that California will actually sue the EPA for their continued delay, most likely after they get control of the wildfires raging in the southing part of the state.
While the public comment period for the waiver is over, I urge you to send a letter directly to EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson reminding him that we are watching and waiting for this decision. Your action is an important compliment to the pressure that state governments are mustering on this issue. Whether you are in a “clean car state” or not, you can put in your two cents for the EPA to get out of the way and spend their time developing a federal policy that will actually bolster, rather than undermine, the efforts of the states.
 Neal Laur of Mission, TX was convinced by his son to purchase a 2007 Toyota Prius. He averages about 40 mpg with his hybrid but still hasn’t taken the vehicle on any road trips.
 Christine Dull of Englewood, OH sent us a chorus of satisfied Toyota Prius owners of the Lower Miami Church of Brethren.
If you own a Prius (or any other hybrid model) or know of anyone who does, please remember to tell them to submit their testimonials today!
I hope everyone has a spooky and safe Halloween, and hopefully I'll have some good news on fuel economy after you've finished off the Thanksgiving turkey (or Tofurkey)!
| 
