A report from the National Research Council states that the U.S. could reduce fossil fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions by as much as 80 percent by 2050 in cars and trucks.
According to the report, the lofty goal is attainable through the use of more efficient vehicles with bio-fuels, electricity, and hydrogen. Improvements to current technology would be a good start, including existing hybrids such as the Toyota Prius and plug-in hybrids like the Chevrolet Volt. There are also EVs, that certainly need more infrastructure and range to become viable to the everyday consumer.
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Other automakers, such as Hyundai and Mercedes-Benz are betting on hydrogen fuel cell technology to help carry the way. Unfortunately, even the report concurs that it’s nearly impossible to determine which technologies will succeed and which will fail. Earlier, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that 2012 model year vehicles will have the highest ever average fuel economy of 23.8 mpg, which certainly shows automakers are on the right path.
“To reach the 2050 goals for reducing petroleum use and greenhouse gases, vehicles must become dramatically more efficient, regardless of how they are powered,” said Douglas M. Chapin, principal of MPR Associates and chairman of the committee that wrote the report.
[Source: LA Times]
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