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2008: A Year Of Decision For Us All

By Harry Fuller

It was the greenest auto show ever in that brown town of Detroit. According to Auto Alliance we have here at the Detroit motor show: 34 flex fuel vehicles from 8 manufacturers, 1 hydrogen vehicle from BMW, 24 hybrids from 9 manufacturers, 10 diesels from 4 manufacturers. The Auto Channel folks then go on to discuss many of these new cars. How these fare in the American market in 2008 could determine how quickly the country gets to that 35 MPG mandate now set for 2020. Could consumer choice actually lead to more fuel efficiency than the government regs require? It can happen. I lived through a serious drought in Calfornia years ago and the water agencies asked for a 25% reduction in water use. Folks responded with many water-saving ideas and actions, cutting water use far more than they had been asked to. I think the average American driver is past ready to save on fuel, if only because of the relatively higher cost.

I know there’s going to be a national election, and once again you have to decide whom to back in the World Series, and there’ll be an Olympics somewhere that’ll require at least temporary focus. But one of the more crucial decisions we Americans will make this year: the fate of new diesel tech in our autos. Biodiesel use is increasing elsewhere and newer diesel tech is far more efficient than gasoline. Will the U.S. go diesel along with much of Europe? Save money on fuel and maintenance? Or will we hang back and guzzle more gasoline than ever?

Last summer I got to interview the head of the Diesel Technology Forum. Watching the Detroit Auto Show, Executive Director Allen Schaeffer had this comment, “In Detroit, January usually means gray skies. But this January the predominant color is green, since the 2008 North American International Auto Show was seeking to answer the big question ‘Which shades of green auto technology are going to be ‘in style’ for the future?’"... Read the full story.