"Carmakers have finally gotten the message and have made a good start in making cuts in CO2 emissions but only after they were forced to," according to Dorothee Saar, an industry analyst at the German Environmental Aid Association (DUH) in Berlin ahead of the Frankfurt international car show.
"Before 2008 they had only voluntary targets that were largely ignored. They're moving forward now because they know if they don't cut emissions they'll pay heavy fines. They're doing better but there is still a lot of untapped potential."
In the European Union, CO2 emissions fell 3.7 percent last year to 140 grams per kilometer after dropping 5.1 percent in 2009. Average emissions are down from 186 grams in 1995. The EU is on track to meet a 130 grams target by 2015 set in 2008 in the face of heavy resistance. The limit will be 98 grams in 2020.
In the United States, notorious around the world for its gas guzzlers, the Obama administration announced plans in August to raise fuel economy requirements by 53 percent by 2025. The proposal requires companies to reach an average fuel efficiency across their U.S. fleets of 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025.
The consensus amongst analysts and industry officials is that it will take another three to five years for battery technology and infrastructure to improve to a point that range anxiety disappears and electric cars 'take off'. I have always felt that 2016 would be the elbow, when EVs are launched that people really want to drive at prices that they deem reasonable, with sufficient infrastructure in place or announced to give people confidence that EVs are here to stay.
By this time the manufacturers may have joined forces with governments to present a compelling case for EVs, whether that is on an environmental, energy or financial basis (and hopefully all three). The manufacturers are certainly doing their bit on product and at Frankfurt you can see the evidence. What is the easiest way to reduce emissions and increase efficiency for EVs? Reduce the size of the vehicle and reduce the number of people in it from 4 to 2.
In order to off-set the larger, energy intensive and more polluting vehicles in their fleets, they will have to start building much smaller, lighter and energy efficient vehicles for urban / local use. Automakers are reacting to the legislation with some truly inspired thinking and bold designs based mostly on '1 plus 1' seat configurations.Volkswagen (Nils concept), Audi (urban concept) and Opel (One Euro concept) have followed Renault (Twizy, orders being taken), Nissan (Landglider concept) and the T-27 from Gordon Murray Design that illustrates its i-stream process. There is space for a new vehicle type that is designed on a 1 plus 1 basis, more than a motorbike, higher crash resistance levels than a quadricycle and cheaper, smaller, lighter and more energy efficient than a conventional hatchback.
These vehicles represent a new way of thinking about urban mobility, perhaps even a new category of vehicle. Maybe Frankfurt 2011 will be remembered as the point where small became beautiful.
By this time the manufacturers may have joined forces with governments to present a compelling case for EVs, whether that is on an environmental, energy or financial basis (and hopefully all three). The manufacturers are certainly doing their bit on product and at Frankfurt you can see the evidence. What is the easiest way to reduce emissions and increase efficiency for EVs? Reduce the size of the vehicle and reduce the number of people in it from 4 to 2.
In order to off-set the larger, energy intensive and more polluting vehicles in their fleets, they will have to start building much smaller, lighter and energy efficient vehicles for urban / local use. Automakers are reacting to the legislation with some truly inspired thinking and bold designs based mostly on '1 plus 1' seat configurations.Volkswagen (Nils concept), Audi (urban concept) and Opel (One Euro concept) have followed Renault (Twizy, orders being taken), Nissan (Landglider concept) and the T-27 from Gordon Murray Design that illustrates its i-stream process. There is space for a new vehicle type that is designed on a 1 plus 1 basis, more than a motorbike, higher crash resistance levels than a quadricycle and cheaper, smaller, lighter and more energy efficient than a conventional hatchback.
These vehicles represent a new way of thinking about urban mobility, perhaps even a new category of vehicle. Maybe Frankfurt 2011 will be remembered as the point where small became beautiful.
