I WANT MY MPG
Hybrids only part of the picture

While it's clear hybrid and electric vehicles play an important part of the mix that will allow automakers to reach the new 54.5 MPG by 2025 fuel economy standards, industry experts agree that improvements to the standard combustion engine will lead the way. As the Detroit auto show previewed new car lineups to journalists, a panel at the nearby Automotive News World Congress showed that automakers and environmental groups—who often have disparate views—agree that the greatest improvements in fuel efficiency will come by adding new gas-saving technologies to the internal combustion engine. So what role will electric and hybrid vehicles play? In an EV World interview, the Natural Resources Defense Council's Roland Hwang says "the U.S. fleet only needs to see 3 percent of its fleet electric cars, 15 percent standard hybrids, and the rest made up of smaller turbocharged internal combustion engines in order to meet its EPA fleet average." And what about diesels? With diesel sales increasing 27 percent in 2011 and with at least six new diesel vehicles set to be released over the next few years, it's clear they will have a role, too. Ailis Aaron Wolf Hybrid Owners of America