According to the president of Toyota North America, Toyota hybrids have saved 155 million gallons of gas and eliminated 3 billion pounds of greenhouse gases. This is undisputedly good news, and an important reminder of the direction the automotive industry must go.
- A report released Tuesday by the Environmental Protection Agency showed that 2006 model cars and trucks were the fastest and heaviest since 1975, and failed to improve on fuel efficiency from the 21 miles per gallon average of last year.
- Japanese automakers, which have been the industry leaders on fuel economy, have produced cars and trucks with decreased fuel efficiency over the last 20 years, with Toyota dropping from 26 mpg in 1987 to 24 mpg today, the report showed.
“This report makes it crystal clear that the automakers, if left to their own devices, will not use existing technologies to improve the fuel economy of the vehicles that American families depend on each and every day,” said Dan Becker, director of the Sierra Club program on global warming.
Becker said the report underscored the need for President Bush and Congress to raise fuel economy, or CAFE, standards “as soon as possible.”
del.icio.us
Digg this
