18 September 2007

TOYOTA against the new Fuel Economy bill

from EcoGeek.org

OK, we all know the score. Toyota hit a home run with the Prius. An all-hybrid model that was more practical (though also less green) than the Honda Insight. The result has been a big green badge following Toyota wherever they go. It's hard to deny, the Prius is the green car...Toyota is the green car company.
So why are they fighting so hard against the only sensible fuel economy bill to hit congress in a decade. Very simply, the new energy bill would increase average fleet mileages to 35 mpg by 2020. With Toyota's vision of a hybrid model for every car, and plug-ins on the road in the next five years, this shouldn't be a sticking point. In fact, you think it'd be good news for them.
But they're standing by Ford, Chrysler and GM, who we expect to fight any attempt at regulation, basically helping keep America moving backward. Toyota has a Prius model in the works that can get 80 miles per gallon and they're fussing over a 35 mpg average that will be in effect more than TEN YEARS FROM NOW!

You know that I am a Prius driver (2005) and so is my wife (2001), and even though Toyota is the leader in the Gas-Electric Hybrid cars now, I am not nieve enough to expect that all their cars will be so.

The lot at the Tuscaloosa Toyota dealership (leading in Prius sales and service in Alabama), is covered up with non-hybrid automobiles - cars and trucks. Toyota is in the business of selling cars; Cars run, completely or partially, on gasoline. Like the other automakers, the vast majority of their offerings are the non-hybrid variety that would not enable them to meet the fleet average of 35 mpg.

Toyota makes good cars and has done a great job in the Prius line and I am a firm supporter, but I, too, wish they would shift from being the car company with the leading line of green/hybrid cars to being the leading green/hybrid car company with the highest fleet mpg average.

Urge Toyota to support the higher average fleet fuel economy standard by emailing the president of Toyota North America at NRDC.com.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

But hybrid technology paves the way for plug-in hybrid technology which paves the way for all-electric increase miles per gallon, fuel

saver, increase gas mileage
vehicles.Still, hybrids run on gasoline, which is not an alternative to gasoline no matter