Jobs, Energy, & Fuel Economy 2004

This is excerpted from the UCS report Creating Jobs, Saving Energy and Protecting the Environment, July 2004

The economic growth of our nation is tied to technology. From the steam engine and the automobile to the microchip and the Internet, a “can do” attitude of aggressive technology development and implementation has created millions of jobs and enormous wealth.  Investments in technology to make cars and trucks more fuel-efficient provide the country with yet another opportunity to continue this trend.

Many technologies already exist, such as efficient engines and transmissions, high-strength steel and aluminum, better tires, and hybrid-electric powertrains.  The investments required to deliver these more efficient products to consumers will pay off in the form of new jobs for the US automotive sector and other industries throughout the country.  In addition, consumers will save billions of dollars on gasoline, US dependency on oil will be reduced, and emissions of global warming pollution will be cut significantly.

In order to quantify these benefits, the Union of Concerned Scientists estimated the effect of moving existing technologies into cars and trucks over the next 10 years to reach an average of 40 miles per gallon by 2015. We found that:

  • In 2015, the benefits resulting from investments in fuel economy would lead to 161,000 more jobs throughout the country, with California, Michigan, New York, Florida, Ohio and Illinois topping the list.
  • In the automotive sector alone, projected jobs would grow by 40,800 in 2015.
  • For consumers, the cost of the new technology would more than pay for itself, saving them a net of $23 billion dollars in 2015 alone.
  • In 2015, we would cut our national oil use by 2.3 million barrels per day—nearly as much as we currently import from the Persian Gulf —and we would reduce emissions of global warming pollution from cars and trucks by 106 million metric tons of carbon.