|
By Scott Nathanson
The Union of Concerned Scientists has always pursued positive change in the transportation sector not only by working with our members and activists to pressure automakers into building cleaner cars and trucks, but also by sharing our vehicle design ideas with the automakers themselves. This strategy, combined with our active support for sound government policy, gained ground on all fronts this past spring.
|
The full text of Automaker Rankings 2007: The Environmental Performance of car companies is available from our publications page. |
For starters, UCS put automakers’ “green” marketing claims to the test with our April report Automaker Rankings 2007: The Environmental Performance of Car Companies, which used government data on vehicle sales, tailpipe emissions, fuel economy, and fuel type to measure the smog-forming and global warming pollution generated by the fleets of the eight largest automakers.
Our analysis revealed a huge gap between the cleanest and dirtiest automakers (see the chart below), with the former using cleaner technologies across their entire fleets and the latter using them piecemeal or not at all. We also found evidence of improvement; Toyota, for example, earned its second-place ranking by consistently cutting its vehicles’ global warming pollution since 2001, and could overtake Honda as the greenest automaker if it keeps up the pace.
Confronting the Problem Head-on
Unfortunately, not all automakers share Honda and Toyota’s proactive attitude. General Motors Vice Chairman Bob Lutz, in fact, is an ardent critic of regulations governing heat-trapping tailpipe emissions and fuel economy. In an April 9, 2007, Wall Street Journal article that referenced the UCS Vanguard—a minivan design that uses existing, cost-effective technologies and fuels to generate 40 percent less global warming pollution—Lutz directly challenged UCS:
“I know after you write your article the Union of Concerned Scientists will bombard us with letters saying, ‘What Mr. Lutz says is absolutely not true, they’re just trying to sidestep the thing again. The technology for achieving these goals is readily available. It costs very little.’
“My challenge to them is come to my office, meet with me and my staff. Show us your technology, and if it works and it’s cost effective and readily available, we will gladly meet the target using your technology. Gladly. Come to my office. Next week, if at all possible. Run don’t walk.”
David Friedman, research director for the UCS Clean Vehicles Program, did not shy away from the invitation—he flew to Detroit the following week to meet with Lutz and other GM officials. Although we agreed to keep the details of the two-hour meeting confidential, neither side got much closer to the other’s views regarding fuel efficiency and emissions. Nevertheless, it is evident from the public reactions of senior automaker executives like Lutz that UCS analysis and advocacy are being taken seriously, and that the voices of consumers throughout the country are being heard loud and clear.
|
Fleet Average Pollution Scores by Manufacturer |
|
|
|
Scores are proportional to average per-mile emissions of smog and global warming pollution. Lower scores indicate less pollution
(click here for larger image) |
Not Just Any Hybrid Will Do
Hybrid technology, when used to improve fuel economy in such models as the Ford Escape Hybrid, Honda Civic Hybrid, and Toyota Prius and Camry Hybrid, has the potential to play a major role in giving consumers cleaner, money-saving options in every vehicle class, but automakers are also increasing their use of hybrid technology to primarily boost engine power in models such as the Dodge Durango Hybrid and GMC Yukon Hybrid. These “muscle” hybrids undercut the value of this technology in addressing global warming, high gas prices, and U.S. energy security.
You might be surprised to learn that Toyota, given its status as the world’s hybrid “standard bearer” (having recently sold its one millionth hybrid vehicle), is complicit in this dangerous trend. The company is bringing muscle hybrids such as the Lexus LS 600h L and GS 450h to the American market, while depriving U.S. consumers of the choice of a fuel-efficient hybrid minivan such as the Toyota Estima Hybrid, a vehicle that has been available in Japan since 2001. UCS estimates that the Estima Hybrid would get approximately 35 miles per gallon (mpg) in the United States, a significant improvement over the most fuel-efficient minivans currently available to Americans (the Toyota Sienna and Dodge Caravan each get around 22 mpg).
UCS therefore launched an online petition in April through its award-winning Hybrid Center website (www.hybridcenter.org) urging consumers to show Toyota that demand for fuel-efficient hybrids is as strong in the United States as in Japan. The response was tremendous: more than 18,000 people signed the petition—more than twice the number of Estima Hybrids expected to be sold in Japan this year. Toyota responded by inviting us to meet with company executives at its U.S. headquarters in California. We look forward to this meeting as an opportunity to open a broader discussion about the future of Toyota’s hybrid applications, and the need to focus its vehicle designs on fuel economy.
A Sign of Change on Capitol Hill
Our efforts to bring cleaner vehicles to consumers did not stop at the automakers’ offices; we also spent the spring and summer months pressing Congress for stronger fuel economy standards. Our hard work paid off on June 21 when, for the first time in more than 30 years, the Senate voted to substantially increase the average fuel economy of the nation’s cars and trucks, setting a fleet-wide target of 35 mpg by 2020. We then worked with our allies to successfully fend off an attempt by automakers to weaken the new standard in the House of Representatives.
As Catalyst went to press, we were working to ensure that the final legislation passed by Congress would include the strongest possible standard. All of these initiatives demonstrate the progress we can make by combining our analytical expertise with the passion of our members and activists. Our work is far from done, but we plan to convert our positive momentum into even greater success.
Scott Nathanson is the national field organizer for the Clean Vehicles Program.
|
