Automakers Say Fuel Economy Improvement is Top Priority

Washington DC April 4, 2006; The AIADA newsletter reported that automakers are calling improvement in fuel economy the top priority for the next two decades, according to The Detroit Free Press.

"Powertrain innovation is going to matter a whole lot more in the future to the public at large than it has in the past," said Jeff Alson, senior policy adviser with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in a speech yesterday to the Society of Automotive Engineers 2006 World Congress in Detroit.

One mode of encouragement for new technology may come from the federal government. Rep. Bob Inglis, (R-S.C.), said he would introduce a bill later this week to launch the "H Prize," a federal contest for hydrogen-powered vehicles.

According to the paper, "The bill would create a one-time, $100-million award to the group that has the biggest breakthrough in generating hydrogen and designing a vehicle within the next decade. The contest also would include smaller annual awards of $1 million for storage breakthroughs and biannual prizes of $4 million for prototype vehicles."