Consumer Group Pushes for Increased Fuel Efficiency
DONNA KELLEY, CNN ANCHOR: Some consumer groups are focusing today on mpgs, miles per gallon. Their experts say fuel economy could be doubled over the next two decades, and all it lacks is some direction from Detroit. And joining us with more is CNN environment correspondent Natalie Pawelski. Natalie, what do you know about this thus far?</s>NATALIE PAWELSKI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Donna, thanks in part to the big popularity of SUVs and minivans, right now in the United States average fuel economy is at a 20-year low. Today's report, from the environmentally-minded Union of Concerned Scientist and the Center for Auto Safety calls for dramatic improvements.</s>MICHELLE ROBINSON, UNION OF CONCERNED SCIENTISTS: Our primary finding is that the auto industry can, using existing technology, produce a fleet of cars and trucks that achieves a fuel economy of 40 miles per gallon by 2012. That's a 75 percent increase over the current 24 mile per gallon fleet average.</s>PAWELSKI: The authors say that could happen without doing anything exotic, just by applying existing technology, things like making engines and power trains more efficient, cutting down the weight of vehicles. Car makers say that's unrealistic.</s>JOSEPHINE COOPER, ALLIANCE OF AUTOMOBILE MANUFACTURERS: If you go into an auto dealer today, you can buy vehicles that get more than 40 miles per gallon. In fact, there are more than 50 different models that get more than 30 miles per gallon. But those vehicles are not what consumers are demanding today.</s>PAWELSKI: Today's report, which is called "Drilling in Detroit," calls for even bigger improvement if you factor in hybrid vehicles. They run on gas, but generate electric power as you drive them. The study's authors say with hybrids, you could be looking at average fuel economy of 55 miles a gallon by the year 2020. Fuel efficiency standards are set by Congress, and they've been frozen since 1985. The authors of this study, like a lot of environmental groups, are hoping to see some changes -- Donna.</s>KELLEY: How likely are we to see some changes, then, with the price of gas going up and are hybrid cars getting a little bit more popular?</s>PAWELSKI: Hybrid cars are pretty popular. In a lot of places, in fact, they're selling out. And right now, you've got forces on Capitol Hill and elsewhere talking about forcing an increase in fuel economy standards. On the other hand, the most popular rides right now are the gas guzzlers: the SUVs, the pick-up trucks and the car companies say unless that changes, don't look for any grand increases any time soon.</s>KELLEY: OK, Natalie Pawelski, thanks very much.