More energy testimony. . . . On Capitol Hill Wednesday, Big Three automakers told lawmakers that a proposed 40 percent increase in fuel efficiency laws by 2020 (25 mpg to 35 mpg with 2010 as baseline) was “unworkable.” Industry rule of thumb holds that technology increases engine efficiency by roughly 1.5 percent a year (most of which, due to consumer demand, has been going to horsepower, btw), thus 40-in-10 makes little sense without drastically altering car design.
But they’re in the business of making cars. What do they know?
Rep. Rick Boucher, a lifetime lawyer who has served as a legislator the past 32 years, told the automakers that they were wrong. “To me, (the mileage numbers) are very likely to be exceeded as new vehicle technology enters the market,” lectured the Virginia Democrat.
The automakers, no doubt, eagerly await Mr. Boucher’s new technological breakthroughs.