The question now is…will anyone listen to him?
As reported in today’s Detroit News, Audi of America’s Johan de Nysschen called out the current political leadership for “falling in love” with electric vehicles. He’s absolutely right, EVs and Hybrids have become the fashionable automotive technology and Washington’s choice for the future.
The only problem is that EVs won’t make a difference for two decades. The New York Times reported that “plug-in hybrids would not have a significant impact on the nation’s oil consumption or carbon emissions before 2030.” To be clear though, de Nysschen is not saying EVs and Hybrids are wrong or won’t play an important role in the future. What he’s saying is that Washington is picking winners and losers from a technology point of view rather than remaining agnostic, and he’s right.
Clean diesel remains the best near term technology available for reducing our dependance on foreign oil and CO2 emissions (the major cause of global warming), yet no one in Washington seems interested. It seems that “diesel” is literally a dirty word. (more…)
