Green Car Summit on Capitol Hill launches WAS Public Policy Days

Green Car Summit on Capitol Hill launches WAS Public Policy Days

Panelists at The 2011 Washington Auto Show Green Car Summit on Capitol Hill last week called on Congress and U.S. regulators to establish long term rules and regulations on vehicle fuel economy and emissions control as the key to achieving energy independence and security for America.

The Washington Auto Show (WAS) was once again host to the Green Car Summit in partnership with the Green Car Journal where auto industry experts grappled with issues related to energy conservation and limiting greenhouse emissions relative to cars and trucks.

The event, held last Wed., Jan 26, was opened by Congressmen Sandy Levin (D-MI) and Gerry Connelly (D-VA) in the Caucus Room of the Cannon House Office Bldg., and launched Public Policy Days at The 2011 Washington Auto Show. Green Car Journal editor & publisher Ron Cogan jointly emceed the panel with Warren Brown, automotive columnist for The Washington Post.

This years panel included the following industry experts: Tom Baloga, vice president of engineering at BMW/NA; Susan Cischke, group vice president sustainability, environment and safety engineering at Ford; D. Hunt Ramsbottom, president of biofuel producer Rentech; Michael OBrien, vice president of product planning at Hyundai Motor America; Don Hillebrand, director at the Argonne National Laboratory; Joseph Romm, senior fellow at the Center for American Progress; and Arun

Banskota, president of electric vehicle services at NRG Energy.

Each panelist made a point of noting that energy independence for America, and progress in controlling greenhouse gases cannot be made without a stable regulatory setting that will allow automakers to develop and profitably sell more efficient vehicles, like plug-in hybrids and all electric vehicles. There was also concurrence that fuel producers develop alternate sources of liquid fuels, like ethanol and biomass fuel.

We dont think there is a single solution out there, said Sue Cischke, so Ford is developing single vehicle platforms that can be powered by a variety of engines and fuel sources. For that to happen profitably, we need to know what fuel economy and emissions standards are going to be well into the future. We also need a stable energy policy that limits fuel price fluctuations, she said.

BMWs Tom Baloga urged the government to help inform consumers on what the reality of higher mileage vehicles will be, noting that to get there, start-stop technology will occur and the entire driving experience will change.

Michael OBrien of Hyundai said his company was investing heavily in more fuel efficient four-cylinder engines and plug-in hybrid technology

as part of a plan to have a low volume fleet of fuel cell powered vehicles for sales, post-2015.

Which of these technologies will ultimately prevail is wholly dependent upon our ability to provide an infrastructure for their success, said Joseph Romm of the Center for American Progress. Government has a role to play in that and it centers mostly on keeping fuel prices stable, he said. Additionally, Romm predicted gasoline prices will rise to $4 per gallon within the year and that $5 per gallon gasoline prices are a near term certainty. If that happens, all the technologies we are talking about here will flourish, he said, adding that it is imperative that the federal government not interfere with the natural run up in the price of fuel.

President Obama in his State of the Union address, the day before the Summit, indicated regulatory stability would be one of the goals of his administration going forward. Correspondingly, the state of California, just last week, agreed to synchronize its efforts to limit greenhouse gases with those of the federal government.