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Will China Lead the Way to Fuel Efficiency?
By Matt Petersen
China recently announced it has drafted fuel efficiency standards
for vehicles of all classes that would surpass those in the U.S.
The announcement got the attention of automakers, environmentalists,
and news editors. Newspapers as disparate as the Indianapolis Star
and the New York Times opined on the news from China, calling for
increased fuel efficiency for cars in the U.S., and for good reason.
Given the size of China’s population and its growing appetite
for vehicles, China is projected to soon be the world’s third
largest market for vehicles, behind the U.S. and Japan.
If implemented as drafted, the Chinese standards would be an important
step forward for advanced vehicles, public health, clean air, and
combating climate change. It would also promote energy independence
for China.
Yet there was another reason why the word of draft standards from
Beijing was particularly poignant. At the same time as this announcement
sprang from China, the U.S. Congress was debating an energy bill
that not only would give tax breaks of up to $100,000 for purchasers
of Hummers and other large SUVs, but fail to increase U.S. vehicle
fuel efficiency standards.
Fortunately, the dirty energy bill was defeated with a bi-partisan
coalition upset by the excessive pork in the bill, including other
tax breaks for the nuclear and coal industries.
Is there a chance that Detroit, the U.S. Congress, or the Bush Administration
might be inspired by China’s indication of leadership on this
issue? Detroit continues to delay hybrids and Washington drags its
feet, so it seems unlikely in the short-term. Meanwhile, state and
local governments – led by California – continue to
help move away from gas guzzling SUVs and toward cleaner vehicles.
Recent legislation passed in California prohibits the purchase of
SUVs for the state fleet, except where there is a demonstrated public
safety need. Despite driving a Hummer, Gov. Schwarzenegger recently
vowed to protect California’s groundbreaking greenhouse gas
emissions bill, which regulates tailpipe emissions, against attacks
in court from the federal government and automakers.
Consumers are also beginning to vote with their feet. Several months
ago, Toyota introduced the 2004 Prius and has since had to increase
production to keep up with consumer demand. At local dealerships
in Los Angeles, dealers had waiting lists of hundreds of people
all waiting to get the car, sight unseen.
Why? Celebrities such as Leonardo DiCaprio and Cameron Diaz drive
their Prius around L.A., generating a great deal of attention for
the hybrid car. Diaz, Harrison Ford, and other stars went to the
Oscars last March in a hybrid car as part of a Global Green USA
campaign, eschewing limos to demonstrate their commitment to fuel-efficiency
and the need to reduce U.S. dependency on foreign oil.
But it is not just celebrity cache that has made the 2004 Prius
such a sought-after vehicle. Most importantly, the Prius, along
with the Honda Civic Hybrid, uses advanced engineering – direct
benefits from California’s Zero Emission Vehicle regulation
– to achieve extremely low emissions and get great gas mileage,
which is extremely important at a time when prices at the pump are
still high.
The bottom line: The Toyota Prius and Honda Civic Hybrid prove that
we can increase U.S. vehicle fuel efficiency, maintain vehicle safety,
and combat global warming through the use of incentives and smart
technology. But will we allow China to beat us to the punch?
Matt Petersen is president of Global
Green USA (www.globalgreen.org). He encourages readers to take the “Pledge
of Allegiance to American Energy Independence (www.globalgreen.org/pledge).”
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