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We are all enamored by the advanced technologies at work in vehicles today. And why wouldn’t we be? The incredibly efficient cars we have today, and the even more efficient models coming in the years ahead, are testament to a process that combines ingenuity, market competitiveness, and government mandate in bringing ever more efficient vehicles to our highways.

It’s been a long and evolutionary process. I remember clearly when PZEV (Partial Zero Emission Vehicle) technology was first introduced in the early 1990s, a breakthrough that brought near-zero tailpipe emissions from gasoline internal combustion engine vehicles. That move was led by Honda and Nissan, with others quickly following. Then there were the first hybrids – Honda’s Insight and Toyota’s Prius – that arrived on our shores at the end of that decade. Both technologies brought incredible operating efficiencies that drastically reduced a vehicle’s emissions, increased fuel economy to unexpected levels, or both.

Of course, there were first-generation battery electric vehicles in the mid-1990s that foretold what would become possible years later. That first foray into EV marketing was deemed by many a failure, yet it set the stage for the advanced and truly impressive EVs we have today. Those vehicles may not yet be cost-competitive with conventionally powered vehicles due to very high battery costs, but that doesn’t diminish the genius engineering that’s brought them to today’s highways.

Even conventionally-powered cars today are achieving fuel efficiency levels approaching that of more technologically complex hybrids. Who would have imagined popular cars getting 40 mpg or better, like the Dodge Dart, Chevy Cruze, Mazda3, Ford Fiesta, and many more in a field that’s growing ever larger each year?

VW and Audi have proven that clean diesel technology can also achieve 40+ mpg fuel efficiency while providing press-you-back-in-your-seat performance, and importantly, doing this while meeting 50 state emissions criteria. That’s saying something considering diesel has historically had a tough go of it meeting increasingly stringent emissions standards in California and elsewhere. Yet, with elegant engineering by these automakers and their diesel technology supplier Bosch – plus this country’s move to low-sulfur diesel fuel late last decade – ‘clean’ diesel was born.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention natural gas vehicles. There was a time when quite a few automakers were exploring natural gas power in the U.S., but that faded and left Honda as the lone player in this market with its Civic Natural Gas sedan. Now others are joining in with dual-fuel natural gas pickups and vans, benefitting from advanced engine technologies, better natural gas tanks, and a sense that with increasing natural gas reserves in the U.S., demand for natural gas vehicles will grow. As Honda has shown with its Civic, it’s possible to operate on this alternative fuel while also netting admirable fuel efficiency.

All this advanced powertrain technology is important. It makes air quality and petroleum reduction goals achievable, even ones like the ethereal 54.5 mpg fleet fuel economy average requirement that looms for automakers by 2025. There’s no doubt that advanced technologies come at a cost and reaching a 54.5 mpg average will require the full range of efficiency technologies available, from better powerplants and transmissions to greater use of lightweight materials, aerodynamic design, and answers not yet apparent. But I’m betting we’ll get there in the most efficient way possible.

 

Ron Cogan is editor and publisher of Green Car Journal and editor of CarsOfChange.com

In the wake of the tragedy of Hurricane Sandy, the government released its findings that last year was the hottest on record for the continental U.S. While exact causes are difficult to pin down, what we do know is that just like the unprecedented droughts, flooding, and heat we all experienced this past year, storms like Hurricane Sandy are what global warming looks like.

It’s unfortunate that oil companies, coal companies, and their allies have been successful in stalling a common sense, comprehensive national solution to controlling carbon pollution.

But there is good news. Over the last four years, this country has made huge, transformative strides in cleaning up tailpipe carbon emissions that account for about one fifth of the nation’s carbon pollution. Last fall, the Obama Administration adopted final rules, with the support of the auto industry, UAW, and environmental leaders, requiring the equivalent of 54.5 mpg by 2025.

This doubling of fuel efficiency standards is the biggest action this country has ever taken to cut oil dependency and carbon pollution. By 2030, doubling fuel efficiency will reduce carbon pollution by the equivalent of 85 million cars or 140 coal power plants.

Because of the phasing in of the standards begun in 2012, they are already working to cut carbon pollution and fuel bills. In fact, 2012 set a record of 23.8 mpg for the average fuel efficiency of new autos sold. Compared to the previous model year, hybrid sales grew by 55 percent and plug-in electric vehicles sales tripled.

Now, 2013 promises to be even better with automakers offering at least six more hybrid models and eight more plug-in vehicle offerings than last year. A wave of higher mpg midsize cars, getting up to 38 mpg on the highway, will be launched this year.

By supporting stronger standards and putting clean car offerings on the fast track, the American auto industry is doing its part to avert dangerous climate change. Let’s hope other industries follow their lead.

Roland Hwang is Transportation Program Director of the Natural Resources Defense Council