Automakers Show Alternate Fuel Cars

Automakers Show Alternate Fuel Cars



March 2007 - The nation's top 
executive, President George W. Bush, met at the White House 
today with the executives of the three largest American 
automobile companies - General Motors, Ford and 
DaimlerChrysler. The automakers showcased the next generation 
of alternative fuel cars for the president and asked for 
financial help. 
On display were a Chysler Jeep Grand Cherokee now in 
production that runs on five percent biodiesel, and a Ford 
Edge with HySeries Drive, the world's first drivable fuel cell 
hybrid vehicle with plug-in capability. 
Without mentioning specific figures, the automakers asked the 
president for more in the way of incentives and infrastructure 
assistance. 
In a joint statement, they said, "We discussed with the 
president that as part of an overall national strategy to 
fully tap the potential of biofuels to displace petroleum, 
vehicle production increases must be accompanied by continuing 
the incentives that encourage the manufacture, distribution, 
and availability of biofuels and the production of flexible 
fuel vehicles." 
"I found it very interesting that by 2012, 50 percent of the 
automobiles in America will be flex-fuel vehicles," said 
President Bush. "The American consumer will be able to either 
use gasoline or ethanol, depending upon, obviously, price and 
convenience. That's a major technological breakthrough for the 
country." 
All of these developments depend on taxpayer dollars. 
President Bush said today, "One of the things that I think 
it's important for American taxpayers to understand is that 
we're using some of their dollars to promote new technologies, 
and we're working with these CEOs and their respective 
companies to advance new technologies." 
President George W. Bush with auto executives and alternative 
fuel vehicles on the South Lawn drive of the White House. 
Standing with him from left, are: Rick Wagoner, GM chairman 
and CEO; Alan Mulally, Ford President and CEO: Tom LaSorda, 
DaimlerChrysler president and CEO; and Secretary of 
Transportation Mary Peters. 
"They're on the leading edge of technological change, and it's 
in our interest to help promote these new technologies that 
are coming to the market," the president said. 
In his State of the Union address in January, President Bush 
expressed the goal of reducing gasoline consumption by 20 
percent over the next 10 years, and he empasized that goal 
with the auto executives today. 
The president repeated today that America must reduce gasoline 
usage "for national security reasons, as well as for 
environmental concerns," and that reductions depend on 
consumer choice. 
"I appreciate very much the fact that American automobile 
manufacturers recognize the reality of the world in which we 
live and are using new technologies to give the consumers 
different options," said Bush. 
Today, most of American ethanol is made from corn, but the 
federal government is funding projects to develop new 
technologies to make cellulosic ethanol from wood chips or 
switch grass. The president reminded Congress that his budget 
proposal includes funding for this research and urged that 
Congress quickly approve this part of his budget. 
"It's in our national security interest that we do this, it's 
in economic security interest we do it, and all at the same 
time, it will help us be better stewards of the environment," 
Bush said. 
In a joint statement, General Motors chairman and CEO Rick 
Wagoner, Ford Motor Company president and CEO Alan Mulally, 
and Chrysler Group president and CEO Tom LaSorda said, "We 
updated the president that we are working on a wide range of 
advanced vehicle technologies that run on alternative fuels 
such as E85, biodiesel, electricity and hydrogen." 
"Plug-in hybrid vehicles can play a significant role in our 
transportation future. Increased funding for domestic battery 
research and development can help accelerate bringing these 
vehicles to market," the CEOs said. 
"Overall, we were pleased with the exchange that we had with 
the president and all parties came away with an understanding 
of the significant, positive impact that biofuels can make on 
the environment and in reducing our nation’s reliance on oil," 
they said. 
General Motors chairman and CEO Rick Wagoner said, "We very 
much share the President's vision, and we definitely see a 
path through to both lower oil consumption, lower amounts of 
imported oil, and fewer carbon emissions. 
General Motors makes Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, GM 
Daewoo, Holden, Hummer, Opel, Pontiac, Saab, Saturn and 
Vauxhall vehicles. 
Wagoner said, "A near-term opportunity that we are moving on 
right now, as the president cited, is flex-fuel vehicles that 
are powered by E85 ethanol. There are millions on the road 
today." 
Referring to the three CEOs, Wagoner said, "As a group, we've 
agreed to double our production by the year 2010, and then 
have 50 percent of our production E85-capable by the year 
2012. This makes a big difference, and there's nothing that 
can be done which can reduce the curve of growth in imported 
oil and actually turn it down like using E85." 
Mulally said, "We at Ford absolutely are supportive of the 
president's goal, both for energy efficiency and independence, 
and to be good stewards of our environment." 
Ford Motor Company makes Ford, Lincoln, Mercury, Volvo, Land 
Rover, Jaguar, and Mazda vehicles. 
President Bush, gets a look at the Ford Edge with HySeries 
Drive, the first fuel cell hybrid vehicle with plug-in 
capability. With the president, from left: Ford President and 
CEO Alan Mulally; Energy Secretary Samual Bodman; and Vice 
President Dick Cheney. 
"One of the neat things about the conversation, again, today, 
on the continuing dialogue that we've had, is for the United 
States system to have options and have flexibility," said 
Mulally. "And the fact that we have ethanol solutions today, 
hybrids coming along, and plus hydrogen and fuel cells and new 
battery technology, gives some great options to satisfy our 
need for flexibility, as well as being good stewards of the 
environment." 
LaSorda said, "DaimlerChrysler, which includes the Mercedes 
car group, the Freightliner and other truck divisions in the 
Chrysler group, we've committed, as well, by 2012, to have 50 
percent of our production not only in E85, but biodiesel. This 
Jeep Grand Cherokee here today is going into production as we 
speak, being shipped from the factory with B5." 
B5 biodiesel is a blend of five percent biodiesel and 95 
percent petroleum diesel. 
"So we've very committed to this," said LaSorda, "and we think 
this is the answer for America to lower our dependence on 
foreign oil." 
On March 20, in the first visit the president made in his 
seven years in office to a U.S. automaker, Bush viewed 
flex-fuel vehicles in Kansas City. He visited Ford's Kansas 
City Assembly Plant and the General Motors Fairfax Assembly 
Plant. 
At the Ford plant the president viewed two Ford Escape hybrid 
SUVs, two flex-fuel Ford F-150s, and a Mercury Mariner. He 
also saw the car displayed at the White House today - the Ford 
Edge with HySeries Drive, the world's first drivable fuel cell 
hybrid vehicle with plug-in capability. 
The vehicle combines an onboard hydrogen fuel cell generator 
with lithium-ion batteries to deliver more than 41 mpg with 
zero emissions. It is built on a flexible powertrain 
architecture that will enable Ford to use new fuel and 
propulsion technologies as they develop without redesigning 
the vehicle. 
The assembly line at General Motors' Fairfax plant in Kansas 
City. 
The GM plant manufactures the 2007 Saturn Aura Green Line 
hybrid, which currently are beginning to arrive at Saturn 
retail facilities. 
The Aura Green Line is one of four hybrids that Saturn has 
announced. The 2007 Vue Green Line, which debuted last summer 
using the same hybrid technology as the Aura Green Line, 
provides the highest EPA estimated highway fuel economy of any 
SUV at 32 miles per gallon. 
A plug-in hybrid that has the potential to achieve double the 
fuel efficiency of any current SUV, is also in development for 
the Saturn Vue. 
Today at the White House, the automakers briefed the president 
about the more than six million flex-fuel vehicles, FFVs, on 
the road today and said that collectively they will add over a 
million FFV cars and trucks in 2007. 
"We explained to the president that if all these vehicles were 
running on E85, they would displace more than 3.6 billion 
gallons of gasoline a year," they said. 
"Right now, there are approximately 1,100 E85 pumps in the 
U.S. and 1,000 biodiesel pumps, out of 170,000 gas stations," 
the automakers said. "We expressed to the president that we 
are willing to lead the way, but we need government and fuel 
providers to increase infrastructure before we can make a 
meaningful impact." 
In their joint statement, the auto executives said, "If all 
the E85 capable vehicles on the road today – along with those 
that GM, Ford and DaimlerChrysler have already committed to 
produce over the next 10 years were to run on E85 – we could 
displace 22 billion gallons of gasoline annually." 
"If all manufacturers made a comparable commitment to make 
half their annual production capable of running on biofuels, 
we could increase the savings to 37 billion gallons of 
gasoline annually in 2017," they said. 
In his State of the Union address, the president called for "a 
mandatory fuels standard to require 35 billion gallons of 
renewable and alternative fuels in 2017..." 
The CEOs said today, "If all diesel vehicles today were fueled 
with B5 (five percent biodiesel) we could displace 1.85 
billion gallons of petroleum per year; and 7.4 billion gallons 
per year if B20 (20 percent biodiesel) were utilized." 
To achieve these levels of petroleum savings, the automakers 
asked the president to help provide Americans with "reasonable 
access to these fuels at a price that is competitive with 
gasoline." 





 

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