Chevrolet at the Los Angeles International Auto Show
November 17, 2009

o U.S. premiere of the all-new Cruze, delivering up to 40 mpg highway
o Volt electric vehicle to be available in select markets in 2010
o Camaro, Equinox and other hot-selling Chevrolet vehicles also on display

DETROIT – Chevrolet affirms its commitment to fuel solutions and building refined, eco-friendly vehicles with the debut of the U.S. production version of the Cruze sedan at the Los Angeles Auto Show, on Dec. 2. The Cruze, along with the much-anticipated Volt electric vehicle, will give visitors to the L.A. show a close-up view of Chevrolet's expanding lineup of gas-friendly to gas-free products.

"With expected highway fuel economy up to 40 miles per gallon, Cruze will be extremely gas friendly while the Volt electric vehicle can be operated gas-free," said Brent Dewar, vice president, Chevrolet. "Chevrolet's focus is on forward-looking technologies to the benefit of our customers, such as the highly efficient, small-displacement turbocharged engine in the Cruze or the Volt electric vehicle with extended range."

The Cruze has already launched to high acclaim in Europe and Asia and has undergone refinement for America. It goes on sale in the U.S. in the third quarter of 2010 but has already logged more than 4 million miles in quality and durability testing worldwide, making it one of the most globally tested Chevrolet products prior to a U.S. launch.

Cruze is designed to achieve class-leading highway fuel economy using a new family of efficient engines that include a 1.4L turbo. It will lead the way for Chevrolet in small-displacement, turbocharged engines that are designed for excellent fuel efficiency and durability – while also being fun to drive.

Defying preconceptions of what a compact car can be, Cruze will offer a more spacious interior and cargo capacity than the Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla, and upscale infotainment amenities such as a navigation system, Bluetooth connectivity and XM Satellite Radio. Ten standard air bags that provide a safety cocoon for occupants – along with OnStar– also make it one of the safest vehicles in the segment.

The Chevrolet Volt is an electric vehicle with extended-range capability. It is expected to drive up to 40 miles on electricity without using gasoline or producing tailpipe emissions. When the Volt's lithium-ion battery is depleted of energy, an engine/generator seamlessly operates to extend the total driving range to more than 300 miles before refueling.

Chevrolet will announce plans for initial retail markets where the Volt will be sold. Chevrolet will also announce the winner of a nationwide consumer competition to name a Volt unique paint color. Consumers determine the winner by voting now for their favorite of three finalist names at www.chevroletvoltage.com, until 8 a.m. Eastern time on Dec. 1.

From Nov. 27-29, the Volt will be on display next to Bloomingdale's at the Westfield Century City mall in West Los Angeles. During regular mall hours, visitors to the Chevrolet Volt display may get two free tickets each to the L.A. Auto Show, while supplies last. The L.A. Auto Show opens to the public Dec. 4.

Production for the Volt is expected to begin in late 2010. Pricing has not been announced.

The Chevrolet show exhibit also will feature the all-new, 2010 Chevrolet Camaro sports coupe and Chevrolet Equinox compact crossover SUV. The popularity of these vehicles helped Chevrolet boost sales by 9 percent in October, including a significant 31-percent increase in retail sales.

The Camaro continues to distance itself from its closest competitor as a fuel-efficient interpretation of a 21st century sports car, achieving 29 miles per gallon on the highway when equipped with the popular 304-horsepower direct injected V-6. Camaro has been a leader in the regular sports car segment for the last five months.

Demand for the Camaro continues to be strong, as Chevrolet now has more than 36,000 sold orders for the car.

The all-new 2010 Equinox is a compact crossover that combines distinctive design, extensive functionality and outstanding efficiency. At 32 mpg highway, the Equinox gets better fuel economy than the Honda CR-V and the Toyota RAV-4. It even beats the Ford Escape Hybrid while costing $7,000 less.

In just a few short months, Equinox has captured 10 percent of the critical compact crossover segment, its best share since August of 2007 and up 4.6 percent from a year ago. More than half of 2010 Equinox customers traded in a non-GM vehicle (based on internal PIN data). Demand is so strong for the Equinox that the plant where it is built recently added a third shift.

About Chevrolet

Chevrolet is one of America's best-known and best-selling automotive brands, and one of the fastest growing brands in the world. With fuel solutions that range from "gas-friendly to gas-free," Chevrolet has nine models that offer an EPA-estimated 30 miles per gallon or more on the highway, and offers three hybrid models. More than 2.5 million Chevrolets that run on E85 biofuel have been sold. Chevrolet delivers expressive design, spirited performance and strives to provide the best value in every segment in which it competes. More information can be found at www.chevrolet.com. For more information on the Volt, visit http://media.gm.com/volt/.

The paper, written by Christopher R. Knittel and registered with the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER), posits the following in it's abstract:

New car fleet fuel economy, weight and engine power have changed drastically since 1980. These changes represent both movements along and shifts in the "fuel economy/weight/engine power production possibilities frontier". This paper estimates the technological progress that has occurred since 1980 and the trade-offs that manufacturers and consumers face when choosing between fuel economy, weight and engine power characteristics. The results suggest that if weight, horsepower and torque were held at their 1980 levels, fuel economy for both passenger cars and light trucks could have increased by nearly 50 percent from 1980 to 2006; this is in stark contrast to the 15 percent by which fuel economy actually increased. I also find that once technological progress is considered, meeting the CAFE standards adopted in 2007 will require halting the observed increases in weight and engine power characteristics, but little more; in contrast, the standards recently announced by the new administration, while certainly attainable, require non-trivial "downsizing". I also investigate the relative efficiencies of manufacturers. I find that US manufacturers tend to be above the median in terms of their passenger vehicle fuel efficiency conditional on weight and engine power, and are among the top for light duty trucks; Honda is the most efficient manufacturer for both passenger cars, while Volvo is the most efficient manufacturer of light duty trucks. However, I also find that over time, US manufacturers' relative efficiency in both passenger cars and light trucks has degraded. These results may provide insight into their current financial troubles.

First we'd just like to say as consumers of horsepower and torque, we're quite happy with the improvements since 1980. We're wondering if Mr. Kittle has ever tried to merge into freeway traffic in a 1980 Toyota Corolla. Not a pretty sight.

In any case, the content of the study would be far more interesting to us if it didn't seem from the outset the author was only interested in painting automakers as wasteful and the automobile and its consumer the same way. We say this because despite mentioning technological advancement since 1980, there is absolutely no mention of the government mandates in improvement to emissions and safety. We can understand a statistical analysis of fuel economy versus weight and power, but to completely ignore mandates which add considerable girth to a vehicle is a major oversight which seems intentional.

Sure, cars are much bigger and more powerful than they were in 1980, but they also always start in the morning, aren't actively trying to kill you in a crash and don't spew blue smoke anymore. The inclusion of primary, secondary and now tertiary airbags alone adds weight and cost, not to mention ever increasing structural requirements in both the safety cage and crumple zones. We're not saying we don't like the idea of the study, as more information put into context is always better, but when you leave out an obvious weight driver the whole affair is suspect. (Thanks for the tip Andrew)

[NBER]

Photo credit Think Or Thwim, sculpture by Irwin Wurm

New Jersey resident Jeff Chase was considering trading in his 1989 Mazda 929 for a new car and checked the government's FuelEconomy.gov website and it said it met the 18 MPG threshold to be considered a gas-guzzling clunker. He went back later to buy the new car only to discover the numbers had been changed and the combined mileage was now 19 MPG and therefore disqualified from the discount.

"The dealer that I wanted to do business with had started to write sales orders for cars but were not delivering them until the final CARS rules were set," said Jeff Chance. "They are finding out that cars that they thought were qualified as trade-ins are no longer eligible. Now these people will not be able to purchase a car."

Jeff isn't alone. Daniel Anderson was planning to trade up from his 1991 V6 Toyota Camry only to be rejected because the number was changed sometime in the last week from 18 MPG, a number that would have garnered him a check, to a new 19 MPG rating.

Were the vehicles rechecked? Did they apply a new standard? Given the numerous Camrys and old Mazdas on the road, it's possible there are thousands of car owners on the road who believe they're qualified for a discount only to arrive at the dealership and find the numbers have changed.

This is especially troublesome because the official rules released this week states they'll use the latest combined mileage as determined by the EPA because the agency reconfigured how they measure mileage to more accurately reflect real-world MPG. Thus the Cash For Clunkers final rule states:

CARS Act Rule Language
EPA changed the way it calculated fuel economy ratings starting in Model Year 2008, and has estimated the revised ratings for Model Years 1985-2007. Therefore, as described above, eligibility is determined by the revised ratings rather than the original EPA sticker on the vehicle. Since the revised ratings reflect a lower fuel economy, vehicles that would not be eligible under their original EPA rating may qualify for trade- in.

If this is the case, people who discovered their car's were formerly rated as 18 MPG technically had vehicles determined to qualify under the rules.

Karen E. Aldana with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says the agency wasn't aware of what happened. "On the final rule we said we'd use their fuelconomy.gov ratings, so the fact that they're changing it all of a sudden, if that's happening — this is the first I've heard of this."

NHTSA spokesperson Rae Tyson called us back after the story originally ran to inform us that, though they wrote the role, the mileage measurements are completely under the control of the EPA and the rating that went into affect on Friday, July 24th is the one that currently determines eligibility and if anyone made a deal before Friday did so at their own risk.

"The fact is that we have said all along that any dealer entered into a sales agreement prior to the beginning of the agreement was doing so at his own or her own peril because until the program is final you always run into the risk of a deal made not qualifying," said Tyson.

An aide we've spoken to for one of the leaders behind the original bill in Congress says they were also unaware this was occurring.

UPDATE: WE Just received this statement from the EPA confirming what happened:

EPA Statement On Mileage Changes:
In support of the new CARS program, the government conducted a month-long quality assurance and quality control effort regarding fuel economy calculations on more than 30,000 vehicle model types spanning the past 25 years.

As a result of the review, roughly an equal number of vehicles became eligible as those found to be not eligible. Of the above model types, eligibility for roughly 100 vehicles was affected.

An enormous effort went into completing these updates so that they would be in place with NHTSA's issuance of the CARS regulation last week — working to ensure that the most precise info possible would be available to consumers once the program took effect.

Photo: Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood celebrating the launch of the CARS program last week. Credit: Win McNamee/Getty Images

According to UK-based Economist they can. The idea of a pneumatic hybrid system is an old one. That's because it's very simple when you break it down to the core contributors. Firstly, this is not a car that runs strictly on air, but instead utilizes a gasoline or diesel internal combustion engine mated with an electric engine-replacing, compressed air tank.

The electric motor and battery pack within a hybrid vehicle merely act as a boost mechanism when excess power is needed beyond the scope of the internal combustion engine and gains its charge through a processes such as regenerative braking. A regenerative braking system converts the kinetic energy produced while stopping the vehicle into a storeable energy form, rather than allowing it to dissipate as heat, which is the case in conventional braking systems. This energy is then re-routed into the battery packs, which in turn provides power to the electric motor that then supplements the main drive engine.

The difference with a pneumatic hybrid system is that instead of gathering kinetic energy through the brake system, it would instead be gained by utilizing the internal combustion engine. Under braking, the fuel supply would be shut off and the vehicle would slow via engine (compression) braking, but rather than lose the air that would be compressed by the pistons in the cylinders, it would then be collected. In this case the internal combustion engine acts as the air compressor for the system, then stores it in a high compression storage tank for a quick burst of additional energy when deemed necessary.

The disadvantage of this system is that compressed air has an extremely low energy density making it fairly inefficient during long strides of freeway driving, but put this system into an urban environment and now we're talking. The constant stop and go of city traffic would allow the system to quickly build up, store and dispense the compressed air in regular cycles, making the system all but invisible to the driver. The fuel consumption hovers around a 32% gain over a normal internal combustion engine according to Swiss Federal Institute of Technology professor, Lino Guzzella, and offers roughly 80% of the of the fuel savings offered by current gas-electric hybrids, but at a much lower price.

Could this be the system of the future or is it just another gimmicky foray into laboratory science that'll never see the light of day on our public road systems? Tell us what you think in the comments below. [via Economist, graphic via evconvert]

The general American driving consumer is stupid with a weak stomach for high gas prices, seeking fuel efficient alternatives like lemmings seek a cliff the moment prices hit record highs. Those pains are quickly forgotten the instant gas prices drop to levels more tolerant to their cow-like sensibilities. What? Do they think lower gas prices are a permanent condition?

As enthusiasts, we know better. We seek to find a fuel efficient offering with the highest possible performance, own two cars — a daily driver and something more fun — or we suck it up and realize we have to pay more for what we want. Want a Corvette ZR1? A Nissan GT-R? We know there's a tax involved with driving real cars and we'll be paying it every time we head to the pump for the privilege of driving something with higher horsepower.

What the general consumer needs to remember is they don't need SUVs the size of mobile homes or pickup trucks able to haul 10,000 pounds to get to work each day (unless of course they work on a construction site).

Appliances are what's needed for most Americans. Simple, fuel-efficient appliances that allow them to get from A to B with ease and without disrupting them from their super-sized McDonald's latte. However, as long as gas prices stay below $3.00 a gallon, hybrids and other more fuel-efficient driving alternatives will continue to be pushed to the wayside for bigger, thirstier options.

We've seen exactly that happen during this economic slump. There's been a 30% increase in gas prices, but it's still relatively cheap in comparison to the highs of last summer. So what's happened to hybrid sales? Well, news today is Honda's Insight hybrid may fall 33% short of U.S. sales goals (50-60,000 units versus 90,000 originally projected). This after Toyota reported U.S. sales of the Prius are down a whopping 45% in 2009. What should automakers expect? Combine lower gas prices with a heavily-saturated marketplace — including Toyota's current Prius, next-generation Prius and the Fusion hybrid — and we're talking about a continued drop in demand for fuel efficient vehicles. And what are the #1 and #2 highest-selling vehicles in the U.S. last month? The Ford F-150 and Chevy Silverado. Trust us, these aren't being used on job sites.

These cars are already available or soon to be available, but at gas prices at levels not seen during peak driving season in three years, they're not what Americans are buying. So back to the Insight. For the moment it means lower sales. However, the moment gas prices spike again — whether through a recovering economy or a supply disruption — expect consumers to make a beeline to the Insight as though it were some kind of hybrid honey.

In the long term, if we want to get off this merry-go-round of lemming-like behavior, we need to recognize as a society that gas prices are the greatest single influence on American driving habits. But no politician has the political will to do the right thing to really change consumer driving habits — implementing a progressively and artificially increase to the price of gas. Instead we'll continue our fun game of mandating automakers kill off "fun cars" for us enthusiasts out of a desire to increase fuel economy — a feature American appliance-driving consumers apparently don't desire.

[via GasBuddy]

At issue is the federal government's twin towers of regulation power — the National Highway Transportation and Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). What President Obama announced Tuesday was that the EPA and NHTSA intend to work together to regulate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) standards at the national level. This avoids different standards being implemented at the state versus federal level, and to avoid unharmonized or inconsistent GHG emission and CAFE standards.

The problem is, as has been widely reported by everyone in the media, ourselves included, NHTSA is not proposing a 35.5 MPG CAFE standard by model year 2016. Rather, as we're now being told by analysts at Credit Suisse, the EPA intends to propose GHG emission standards that, based on its estimates of model year 2016 light vehicle sales at that time, would result in fleet average CO2 emissions (of vehicles sold in that model year) of roughly 250 grams/mile. This creates at least one huge loophole in the system for automakers to take advantage of.

The Air Conditioner Loophole
That level of CO2 emission per mile would equate to about 35.5 MPG in fuel economy parlance. However — here's the big loophole — it's expected by the EPA and NHTSA that most manufacturers would apply air conditioning improvements to reduce GHG emissions. Air conditioning improvements do not enter into the NHTSA's calculation of MPG fuel economy.

Thus, the improvement in MPG that is equivalent to the estimated 250g of CO2/mile will actually fall well short of the 35.5 MPG mark. The gap between what the fleet CAFE will be and the widely reported 35.5, would be made up by air conditioner improvements. So basically, when you buy your supposedly more-fuel-efficient vehicle in 2016, it won't have as high of a fuel economy as it could — thanks to your car's air conditioning.

Automakers Get Lower Standards The More Large SUVs, Trucks They Build
Credit Suisse also points out in a new report released today that another key component of the proposal yesterday is that the EPA and NHTSA both intend to propose separate footprint-based standards. This is consistent with NHTSA's current approach to CAFE standards and, as such, means that there will be no set standard, with respect to either CO2 or fuel economy, for any single manufacturer or in fact for the fleet as a whole. Any standards you hear about for a given manufacturer or for the fleet as a whole are estimates.

This is because the actual MPG or CO2 "standard" for every manufacturer will vary depending on what they build. Footprint-based means the amount of CO2 emitted and the level of fuel economy will vary depending on the vehicles wheelbase multiplied by its track width. Put another way, the area between where the tires touch the road.

This quote from the proposal addresses the implications for automakers: "Under a footprint-based standard, each manufacturer would have a GHG and CAFE standard unique to its fleet, with a separate standard for passenger cars and light-trucks, depending on the footprints of the vehicle models produced by that manufacturer. Generally, manufacturers of larger vehicles (i.e. vehicles with larger footprints) would face less stringent standards (i.e., higher CO2 grams/mile standards and lower CAFE standards) than manufacturers of smaller vehicles." This clearly favors the domestic makers.

Will That Be Cash Or Credit?
The EPA and NHTSA foresee flexibility in compliance with its proposed standards based on certain credits. Credits can be earned for fleet over-compliance in a given year, and applied in future years. Current consideration is to allow credits to be carried forward for at least 5 years.

In addition to credits at the fleet level that could be carried forward, the agencies intend to consider giving manufacturers the ability to transfer credits among its fleet. That is, if an automaker achieves over-compliance on the car side, it can transfer those credits to the truck side, and vice versa.

Air conditioning credits: AC units contribute to GHG emissions in two ways. First, through the leakage of hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) refrigerants, and second, by placing additional load on the engine, which causes the engine to produce additional CO2. The EPA is considering an approach that would enable automakers to earn credits by reducing GHG emissions (HFC and CO2) related to AC systems. Under the approach, reductions in HFCs would be converted to a CO2 equivalent reduction on a gram/mile basis that could be used as credits in meeting fleet CO2 standards. The EPA said it believes automakers would reduce HFC and CO2 emission through AC upgrades in order to take advantage of these credits.

Additional credit opportunities are being considered to help promote the commercialization of electric and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. They are called "super credits", and they would take the form of a multiplier such that the number of hybrid/electric vehicles sold would count as more than one vehicle in the manufacturer's fleet average. Thus helping automakers achieve fleet compliance by offering such vehicles, and applying those credits as needed.

Who Comes Out On Top?
All of this doesn't mean the automakers won't have to make an improvement. There's still much work to be done to bring all the vehicles up to these standards, but as we learn more it becomes clearer why so many auto execs were willing to stand behind President Obama.

[Credit Suisse, EPA, Green Car Advisor]

In his opening, President Obama framed the historic moment by pointing out the gathering of auto executives, governors, legislators, environmental activists and others historically at odds with each other. He failed to mention the reason everyone is so happy to get together is that he has a gun to their heads in the form of government funding.

The goal of a new national standard is a mixed bag for automakers. On one hand, lawsuits and state standards are being dropped and the EPA and Department of Transportation standards are being combined. Obama also mentioned the increase in fuel economy will provide a savings for consumers over the life of a car and save 1.8 billion gallons of fuel.

On the other hand, helping determine what automakers should build does not create demand. Lots of fuel-efficient cars are out there today but most consumers aren't interested. CAFE doesn't deal with the demand side of the equation. We can continue forcing automakers to build fuel-efficient cars that nobody wants to buy, but unless we're willing to enact a higher fuel tax (with obvious progressive checks in place to deal with lower-income car owners) to out-price SUVs and pickup trucks, consumers won't change their habits.

But the details? Ah yes, the details — a 5% annual increase in average fuel economy from 2011, culminating in 35.5 MPG in 2016. The breakout will be 39 MPG for cars and 30 MPG for trucks. So basically, unless you're an automaker building an appliance, get out of the game. There's no room for a Corvette ZR1 or rear-wheel-drive power wagon. Nope, it's all going to be Priuses and Fusion hybrids from here on out. We'd move to Canada except we're assuming it'd be worse up there. Maybe Mexico is the place to go.

Not like most of them have a choice anymore. What are GM and Chrylser going to do — say no? And the rest? Who wants to look anti-environment?

Automakers Support President in Development of National Program for Autos

Washington, DC – On Tuesday, May 19, automakers will join with President Obama, federal agencies, governors and environmental leaders to announce a commitment to establish a National Program that will reduce carbon emissions and increase fuel economy.

"For seven long years, there has been a debate over whether states or the federal government should regulate autos. President Obama's announcement ends that old debate by starting a federal rulemaking to set a National Program," said Dave McCurdy, president and CEO, Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers. "Automakers are committed to working with the President to develop a National Program administered by the federal government."

"What's significant about the announcement is it launches a new beginning, an era of cooperation. The President has succeeded in bringing three regulatory bodies, 15 states, a dozen automakers and many environmental groups to the table," said McCurdy. "We're all agreeing to work together on a National Program."

A National Program is a priority to automakers because a national fuel economy program allows manufacturers to average sales nationwide, so customers in all 50 states can continue to buy the types of vehicles they need for family, business and leisure. A National Program also avoids conflicting standards from different regulatory agencies, and it gives automakers much needed certainty for long-term product planning. In addition, a National Program delivers overall greenhouse gas reductions equal to or better than those that would be realized under separate programs by different regulatory bodies.

EPA and NHTSA intend to initiate a joint rulemaking that reflects a coordinated and harmonized approach to implementing the Clean Air Act and the Energy Policy and Conservation Act. The rulemaking is expected to include several elements important to automakers, including:

· Preserving Vehicle Diversity: Harmonized NHTSA and EPA standards would be attribute-based, or based on a vehicle's "footprint." This approach allows for a range of sizes of vehicles to meet consumer needs for passenger and cargo room.

· Providing Certainty for Long-term Planning: Automakers would know what standards will be through 2016, which is critical in an industry where bringing a product to market typically takes 5-7 years. The National Program is intended to give automakers sufficient lead-time to incorporate technology as part of existing vehicle design schedules, so manufacturers would not have to incur added costs from redesigning all their models at one time.

· Providing Flexibility in Achieving CO2-Reduction Goals: EPA and NHTSA would consider a range of compliance flexibility measures, such as earned credits, credit trading, air conditioning credits, and credits for using additional technologies that reduce carbon dioxide (CO2).

"The debate over who sets CO2 and fuel economy standards for autos has been decided, but there is still more to talk about. We have the broad outlines of an agreement, but we will need to work closely with NHTSA, EPA and California in the rulemaking process to resolve multiple issues, trying to fit all the elements together into one program. There is a strong commitment from everyone to move past any hurdles that may arise as we work through differences in the way these two federal agencies set standards," said McCurdy.
"We want to finalize a national program so we can move on to policy discussions on what the future of sustainable mobility looks like and how we can get there faster," said McCurdy. "Alliance members are supporting measures that reduce carbon dioxide even more, like low carbon fuels, advancements in battery technology and consumer incentives to get more advanced technology autos on our roads."

Autos represent 17% of all man-made CO2 in the U.S, according to EPA. Carbon dioxide is created when any fossil fuel burns, whether it is a car burning gasoline or a backyard grill burning charcoal. Therefore, to reduce CO2, automobiles will need to burn less fuel. That means automakers will need to sell fuel-efficient technologies that will produce less CO2.

"All industries will be called upon to reduce carbon emissions," said McCurdy. "Automakers play an important role. Today, there are more than 50 auto technologies on sale that reduce emissions, increase mileage and run on clean fuels." Automakers are selling 130 models of automobiles that achieve 30 mpg or greater on the highway. Consumers can now test drive 35 models of hybrids or clean diesel in dealer showrooms. More technology is on its way to market.

"We will need to use every engineer we have and every investment dollar available to make our vision of sustainable mobility a reality. And, we are going to need Americans to buy our clean, fuel-efficient autos in large numbers in order to meet this climate change commitment," said McCurdy.

The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers is a trade association of 11 car and light truck manufacturers including BMW Group, Chrysler, Ford Motor Company, General Motors, Jaguar Land Rover, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi Motors, Porsche, Toyota and Volkswagen. For more information, visit the Alliance website at www.autoalliance.org.

Details of the plan are still vague, but it looks as though it will standardize both tailpipe-emissions and CAFE mileage standards so carmakers won't have to worry about meeting numerous and sometimes conflicting goals. We're being told auto executives from around the world plan to fly their private jets to Washington for the purposes of gathering 'round Obama and singing Kumbaya.

Because if this works, Obama will succeed where no president has before — do exactly what every auto exec's asked for from administrations for decades while simultaneously making them all his bitch. [Politico]

Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images

We're actually told Edwards ended up going 1,445.8 miles as he jumped out of the car after it ran out of gas and sprinted another tenth of a mile.

The 1,000-Mile Challenge started at 8:15 a.m. on Saturday, April 25, from Mount Vernon, Va., and ended this morning in Washington, D.C. The stunt raised funds for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and wasn't too shabby of a show of fuel economy. True it doesn't beat hypermiler Sean Welch, who's able to get 106.2 MPG in his Honda Insight, but it's pretty impressive fuel economy for a car that's as weighty as the Fusion. Full press release:

ONE THOUSAND MILES AND COUNTING: FUSION HYBRID BREAKS 1,000 MILES ON SINGLE TANK, PRESSES ON

* The Ford Fusion Hybrid team has achieved more than 1,000 miles – over 47 continuous hours – on a single tank of gas, raising funds for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation
* Passing the 1,000 mile mark at 9:08 a.m. this morning, the team will continue as their unmodified, regular production Fusion Hybrid has nearly one-third of a tank of fuel remaining
* The most fuel-efficient, mid-sized sedan in America – the Fusion Hybrid – driven by a team of Ford hybrid engineers, a fuel efficiency expert and a NASCAR star, achieved more than 80 miles per gallon using Eco-Driving techniques

WASHINGTON, April 27, 2009 – At 9:08 a.m. this morning, the 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid team hit the 1,000-mile mark on a single tank of gas, and is continuing its ultimate fuel-efficiency challenge with nearly one-third of a tank of fuel remaining.

The 1,000-mile mark was achieved with the Fusion Hybrid 1,000-Mile Challenge team leader and NASCAR driver, Carl Edwards, behind the wheel. Other team members include world-record breaking hypermiler Wayne Gerdes and several Ford hybrid engineers.

The 1,000-Mile Challenge started at 8:15 a.m. on Saturday, April 25, from Mount Vernon, Va., and is expected to end on Tuesday, April 28 in Washington, D.C.

A regular production version of the Fusion Hybrid – the most fuel efficient mid-sized sedan in America – delivered over 80 miles per gallon over the course of 47 hours of continuous driving. The team will continue to drive until the fuel tank is depleted.

The vehicle is being put to the test to demonstrate Ford's commitment to be the best, or amongst the best, in fuel economy in every vehicle segment in which it competes and to raise funds for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation in the process.

As part of the event, the team is conducting clinics for media and customers in the Fusion Hybrid, providing interviews and vehicle demonstrations on how simple techniques can make a significant difference to real world fuel economy numbers. The team also is uploading regular images and video of the challenge to YouTube, Flickr, Facebook, Twitter, and www.media.ford.com.

Mileage-maximizing techniques that the Ford team used and recommend to consumers include:

* Slowing down and maintaining even throttle pressure;
* Gradually accelerating and smoothly braking;
* Maintaining a safe distance between vehicles and anticipating traffic conditions;
* Coasting up to red lights and stop signs to avoid fuel waste and brake wear;
* Minimize use of heater and air conditioning to reduce the load on the engine;
* Close windows at high speeds to reduce aerodynamic drag;
* Applying the "Pulse and Glide" technique while maintaining the flow of traffic;
* Minimize excessive engine workload by using the vehicle's kinetic forward motion to climb hills, and use downhill momentum to build speed; and
* Avoiding bumps and potholes that can reduce momentum

Click here for more Eco-Driving tips.

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As we expected, the Raser Electric Hummer H3 is a plug-in, extended-range electric vehicle (EREV) utilizing a 200 kW motor to drive the wheels and a turbocharged Ecotec four-cylinder to power a 100 kW generator to charge the batteries and run the e-motor.

If you're good at math you immediately see the problem here. For the first sixty miles the Raser Hummer runs in all EV mode and from there it will run on a constantly operating generator, resulting in an asymptotic decline in average fuel economy. It does get the dramatic 100 MPG fuel economy the company claims — as long as you don't go further than 60 miles in a day. The actual, long-range economy is a less headline-grabbing 33 MPG. Much better than a standard H3 for sure, but Raser has not quite yet managed to defy the laws of physics.

We'd have more details for you, but Arnie strode into the middle of the press conference with his phalanx of security guards and turned it into a media feeding frenzy.

The vehicle is designed, first and foremost, as a pure electric vehicle, with a 268 HP electric motor hooked directly to the transmission, which is still connected to the all-wheel-drive system. A stand-alone four-cylinder gasoline engine replaces the previous V6 or V8 and drives a generator making electricity after about 40 miles of driving when the lithium ion batteries are spent.

The Raser Tech electric Hummer H3 can be charged via 120V or 220V electricity via a plug-in port, which is of course hiding behind the fuel filler. Where exactly you put the fuel, we don't know. All of this sounds pretty much like the Volt, doesn't it? The tall claims will have to be backed by road tests but we'll just have to wait and see if Raser Tech can out-do the General on this one. The company plans on unveiling the finished product next weekend at the SAE World Congress in Detroit and we'll be ready to bring you all the details. [Raser Tech]

With yesterday's 2010 Toyota Prius Review, we've now driven all three major competitors in the Greener-Than-Thou segment. Let's take a look at how the new Prius stacks up against the bigger, mid-size 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid sedan (which normally would play against Toyota's larger Camry Hybrid, but since the Fusion's already kicked it's tail in fuel economy, we thought we'd move it up from the JV Hybrid Car Wars to the Varsity level), the 2010 Honda Insight and, sort of like a control subject, a 1990 Geo Metro XFi. We'll take a look at how each plays against each other when it comes to fuel economy, size and space, performance, driving dynamics and price. So finally, we can answer the question: Which new hybrid car should you buy?

Fuel Economy:

Adjusted for the new EPA standards, we're amazed that the 19-year old Geo Metro XFI turns in better highway fuel economy than any of the hybrids. Predictably, the Toyota Prius, with its stop/start engine and large battery pack manages to best it in the city cycle, but neither the Insight nor Fusion Hybrid can do the same.

We've tried hypermilling the three hybrids, managing 43.8 MPG in the Ford Fusion Hybrid in city driving, figures in the low 60 MPG range with the Insight and low 70s with the Prius, both in mixed driving. While specific comparisons shouldn't be drawn based on those numbers, they do indicate the ability of each to exceed their official EPA ratings by driving like a grandparent; the Fusion Hybrid can barely manage it, while both the Insight and Prius easily exceed them.

A quick Google search reveals tales of owners averaging 60-70 MPG in Metro XFis in realistic conditions.

Size/Space:

The compact-class Honda Insight has 85.0 cubic feet of passenger space, considerably less than the mid-size Fusion and just-sub-mid-size Prius. They measure 99.8 and 93.7 cubic feet respectively. Since they're hatchbacks, both the Insight and Prius are more flexible for carrying cargo than the Fusion; the Ford only has 11.8 cubic feet of space in its trunk, while the Insight manages 15.8 with its seats up, the Prius measures 21.6. A larger car with more space in the rear seat, the Prius's storage room is noticeably larger than the Insight with the rear seats folded flat.

The Geo is absolutely tiny, at 146.1" it's over two feet shorter than the Insight.

Toys:

All three hybrids have noted that the largest determining factor in fuel economy is the driver and taken steps to give them the tools to drive in the most fuel-efficient manner. The Honda Insight does this with both an "Econ" button that, like Prozac, removes the highs and lows from throttle inputs and an aggregate display of your fuel economy history, complete with Game Boy-worthy graphics and simulated medals for good performance. Supplementing that is a more immediate glowing surround for the speedometer, it turns bright green when you're driving economical, before fading to dark blue when you're not.

Honda's is a more effective system than the equally low-tech display in the Prius, which provides drivers with only a confusing bar graph that tracks from "Charge" to "Power" and a history of your recent fuel economy figures.

The Ford SmartGauge with EcoGuide, on the other hand, provides drivers with a myriad of tools "empowering" them to make full use of the hybridized drivetrain to achieve maximum fuel economy. In addition to a seriously useful sliding indicator of how much throttle opening you can use while remaining in EV mode, it features a section of nicely-animated leaves that whither and die, or bloom and grow depending on your driving habits. It also shows you when you're using regenerative braking and how much charge it's sending to the batteries. Seriously, it's a sexy-looking system that will have a real impact on your fuel economy.

The Metro has a five-speed manual gearbox.

Price:

The Insight's Raison d'être is to offer people who want a Prius a cheaper option. Unfortunately, at $19,800 (before $670 in destination, license and registration) it looks like it'll only be about $2,700 cheaper than the more fuel-efficient 2010 Prius. It's estimated that car will come in around $500 more expensive than the 2009 model, which starts at $22,00. The Fusion Hybrid is considerably more expensive at $27,270, but comes loaded with options.

Then there's the used Metro Xfi, they're hard to find (especially in good condition), but prices have come down from last summer's fuel-crisis high of $7-8,000; expect to pay less than $3,000 for a good one.

Driving Dynamics:

The Fusion Hybrid has a clear performance advantage, hitting 60 MPH a second faster than the 2nd place Prius. While none of these are what you'd consider true driver's cars, both the Ford and Toyota are perversely fun to drive. Sadly we can't say the same of the Insight, which is merely competent. The Insight is also far less refined than either the Prius or Fusion Hybrid; both of those cars ride and isolate noise like luxury cars.

The used Metro is ridiculously slow, unrefined and doesn't come with things like modern tires, suspension or brakes. At 19-years old, it's also likely to be suffering from mechanical problems.

Image:

There's no denying the pop culture resonance of the Toyota Prius. It's the choice of vacuous, eco-friendly image-seeking celebrities everywhere. Buy one and you'll instantly appear to be the greenest family on your block. The Insight, which adopts a similar look, will benefit from riding the Prius's coattails and from the name recognition its first-hybrid-vehicle-ever predecessor lends it. It's a hard case for the Ford, which needs to rely on all its leafy "hybrid" badges to make a case for itself.

Driving a crappy old Metro in front of anyone but an extremely savvy hypermilling enthusiast will simply make you look like you didn't get into Meth production until the market was already flooded.

Which Hybrid Should I Buy:

You may be wondering which car you should buy as your first Hybrid, or which one makes the most convincing case for the current Hybrid owner to trade up to a better vehicle. What about people who don't want to sacrifice driving dynamics in the pursuit of economy or just want a cheap, practical, fuel-efficient vehicle for their commute? The answer for all those people is the 2010 Toyota Prius. Not only is it the most fuel-efficient new vehicle for sale in this country, but it's the most practical vehicle here, at a size larger than the Insight with plenty of room for both people and packages. Combine both those advantages with driving dynamics that are on par with the Ford Fusion Hybrid and what should be a very reasonable starting price and you have an incredibly complete package. Then there's the reputation; this new Prius finally lives up to it, we just wish it had Ford's SmartGauges.

Notes:
- All numbers quoted have been provided by the manufacturers. Exceptions are clearly distinguished by "(Est)" which indicates an educated estimate has been made.
- Fuel economy figures quoted come from the Environmental Protection Agency and are in US gallons. 1 US gallon = 1.2 Imperial gallons.
- The EPA mileage test changed in 2008 to a much more stringent standard. Vehicles tested before the change typically returned xx% better economy than the do now. For example, the 2007 Toyota Prius was rated at 55 MPG combined before and 46 MPG combined after the change. This new standard is widely considered to be more accurate than European tests. For example, the Honda Insight is officially rated at 64.2 MPG combined in the United Kingdom. That's 53.5 MPG in US gallons, 12.5 MPG more than it's rated at here.

The Obama administration's 2011 model year standard will require the nation's cars and trucks to meet a fleet average Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) of 27.3 MPG — that's 8 percent above the 2010 model year requirement of 25.3 MPG, an administration official confirmed Thursday night. The regulations for the 2011 model year are final.

But wait, there's more.

The Obama administration opted to finalize only the 2011 model year standards partly due to a requirement under a 2007 energy law to wrap up those regulations by Tuesday. Administration officials will spend the next year reviewing the 2012-15 model years as they seek a comprehensive emissions policy.

So what does this mean — can automakers reach those targets? In a word, yes. We'll let David Shepardson from The Detroit News explain:

The increase in fuel economy requirements for passenger cars is the first since Congress created the CAFE program in 1975. In the wake of the Arab oil embargo, it ordered automakers to boost fuel efficiency from 13 mpg to 27.5 mpg over a decade

Automakers have outstripped the federal requirements, making it easier in the short run for them to meet the new requirements. In the 2007 model year, automakers averaged 31.3 mpg for passenger cars, and 23.1 mpg for light trucks, above the 22.2 mpg mandate.

But the next two model years are not where this story ends — the Obama administration's expected to decide before May whether to give California and 13 other states permission from the EPA to impose a requirement of a 30% decrease in tailpipe emissions by 2016. If that regulation goes through, it would have the effect of a fleetwide fuel economy of 34.5 MPG by 2015. Yay! We all get to drive econoboxes! [Detroit News]

Photo Credit: Justin Sullivan / Getty Images News