Obama Says Govt. Owns 5,000+ Hybrids, Will Buy First 100 EVs Off Assembly Line
By Scott Doggett March 31, 2010The U.S. president also reminds that CAFE standards will be finalized tomorrow.
By Scott Doggett, Contributing Editor
President Obama announced today that the U.S. government has purchased 5,000-plus hybrid vehicles, more than doubling the number in the federal fleet, and he stated that the government will purchase the first 100 plug-in electric vehicles to roll off American assembly lines.
Early days: Right, Obama tours an SUV plant.
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The government, Obama told the White House press corps, "is doubling the number of hybrid vehicles in the federal fleet, even as we seek to reduce the number of cars and trucks used by our government overall. We're going to lead by example and practice what we preach: cutting waste, saving energy and reducing our reliance on foreign oil."
The remarks were included in an announcement that outlined part of Obama and Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar's comprehensive energy strategy, which is intended to strengthen the nation's energy security. Most of their remarks focused on the administration's decision to expand oil and gas development and exploration off the U.S. coasts.
Last year, Obama issued Executive Order 13514, asking federal agencies to lead by example towards a clean energy economy. Since then, the U.S. General Services Administration and the Department of Energy have done just that.
"As a result of their combined efforts, we have doubled the federal hybrid vehicle fleet and before the end of the year we'll purchase the first 100 plug-in electric vehicles to roll off American assembly lines," the president said today.
"Additionally, agencies are: purchasing hybrid instead of conventional cars and trucks that use more fuel; downsizing vehicle fleets overall; and requiring plug-in electric charging stations for all new facilities and for major retrofits," he said.
CAFE Standards, Finally
The president used the occasion to remind that the federal government tomorrow will finalize a joint final rule establishing greenhouse-gas-emissions standards and Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards for light-duty vehicles sold in the U.S. for model years 2012-2016.
This is not unexpected. By law, the administration has until the end of tomorrow to set the standards that will govern model year 2012 cars and trucks, which are slated to arrive in dealer showrooms at the start of October 2011.
The proposed auto standards represent a White House-brokered compromise between automakers and more than a dozen states that had pushed to create their own emission standards for cars and trucks.
The new regulations will boost overall fleet-wide efficiency to 34.1 mpg by 2016, and will reduce tailpipe emissions by nearly 950 million metric tons and conserve 1.8 billion barrels of oil over the lifetime of the vehicles sold in the next five years.
The standards are expected to save individual motorists $3,000 in fuel over the lifetime of the vehicles, but add an average of $1,300 to the purchase price of each new vehicle.
"Tomorrow, after decades in which we have done little to increase auto efficiency, those new standards will be finalized, which will reduce our dependence on oil while helping folks spend a little less at the pump," Obama said.
"So my administration is upholding its end of the deal, and we expect all parties to do the same. I'd also point out: This rule will not only save drivers money, it will save 1.8 billion barrels of oil. That's like taking 58 million cars off the road for an entire year."
Automotive greenhouse gases account for 23 percent of all U.S. climate-changing emissions, according to the EPA
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