Imagine a world where Americans are no longer dependent on foreign oil. Where our energy supplies are domestic and secure from terrorists and undemocratic governments. Where new energy technology liberates us from the wackiness of today’s energy debate.
Are you thinking of hydrogen fuel cells? Super-efficient solar power? Nuclear fusion?
Sorry. Think three field-tested and inexpensive technologies. By combining hybrid car technology, flexible fuel engines, and pluggable electric motors, America can achieve cleaner, safer, and more secure energy. Thomas Friedman’s new energy policy of geo-green means less influence peddling in the Middle East and the end of false tradeoffs like radioactive waste for energy independence. Instead, we’ll be saying: “as Toyota goes, so goes America.”
Hybrid engines already enable us to get 50-70 miles per gallon of gas. Add in a plug so that the hybrid’s battery can charge overnight and you can drive 20 miles (a distance less than half of Americans drive each day) without using any gas. Throw in flexible fuel technology (an upgrade of around $100 allowing a car to use a fuel mix of only 20% gasoline) and you can now get 500 miles per gallon of gas. That’s 20 times more fuel efficiency than the average American car.
Basically, being geo-green means recognizing that energy independence does not depend on cutting edge technology (hydrogen fuel cells), reviving old technology (nuclear fission) or paying $5 a gallon for gas. Instead, it takes a few upgrades under the hood.
How fast could geo-green work? Check this out:
Are you thinking of hydrogen fuel cells? Super-efficient solar power? Nuclear fusion?
Sorry. Think three field-tested and inexpensive technologies. By combining hybrid car technology, flexible fuel engines, and pluggable electric motors, America can achieve cleaner, safer, and more secure energy. Thomas Friedman’s new energy policy of geo-green means less influence peddling in the Middle East and the end of false tradeoffs like radioactive waste for energy independence. Instead, we’ll be saying: “as Toyota goes, so goes America.”
Hybrid engines already enable us to get 50-70 miles per gallon of gas. Add in a plug so that the hybrid’s battery can charge overnight and you can drive 20 miles (a distance less than half of Americans drive each day) without using any gas. Throw in flexible fuel technology (an upgrade of around $100 allowing a car to use a fuel mix of only 20% gasoline) and you can now get 500 miles per gallon of gas. That’s 20 times more fuel efficiency than the average American car.
Basically, being geo-green means recognizing that energy independence does not depend on cutting edge technology (hydrogen fuel cells), reviving old technology (nuclear fission) or paying $5 a gallon for gas. Instead, it takes a few upgrades under the hood.
How fast could geo-green work? Check this out:
Cut gasoline use by one-fourth... We currently import half our oil. 2/3 of our oil is used for transportation. If we cut oil use in transportation by 1/4, we will achieve oil independence.
...by getting enough 500mpg vehicles to market... There are 221 million autos in the United States averaging 24mpg (pdf link). To quadruple efficiency to an average 96mpg, we’d need 33 million of these 500mpg cars. Since Americans buy 17 million new cars a year, it would only take 2 years to achieve oil independence if we required these technologies in every car.
...and get energy independence for $170 billion. Assuming the US government paid for upgrades for every new vehicle sold, it’d cost $170 billion. That’s less than we’ve spent on the Iraq War so far, without the 15,000 casualties to US armed forces.
...by getting enough 500mpg vehicles to market... There are 221 million autos in the United States averaging 24mpg (pdf link). To quadruple efficiency to an average 96mpg, we’d need 33 million of these 500mpg cars. Since Americans buy 17 million new cars a year, it would only take 2 years to achieve oil independence if we required these technologies in every car.
...and get energy independence for $170 billion. Assuming the US government paid for upgrades for every new vehicle sold, it’d cost $170 billion. That’s less than we’ve spent on the Iraq War so far, without the 15,000 casualties to US armed forces.
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