Alexa Kay

Fuel is a precious thing and we are trying to reduce our use of it by using different methods of electricity. The obama administration issued new rules that require automobile manufactures to increase the efficiency of new cars and truck to 55 mpg by the year 2025. Thats still a really long time from now but at least its a start. This new goal will cause automobile makers to have to work harder to produce more fuel efficient ways to make cars. Automobile companies are trying to reach a 35.5 mpg by 2016.

The government has put a massive amount of $60 million dollars into research about this issue.  This has been put to road testing multiple alternative fuel technologies for vehicles. There has been a wide range of ideas for alternative fuel. For example converting body heat or perfecting fuel cells that transform hydrogen into power. These ideas are being prepped to share with U.S carmakers. The military operate under the most harsh conditions so if scientist and automobile makers can make tanks and other military cars run off these ideas then they figure they can make any vehicle function under these terms.

Military researchers are trying to improve parts such as the drain energy,radiators, air filters and mufflers. There are many experiments workers are trying to capture like engine power thats wasted as exhaust heat and make it into electricity that can charge batteries or run the internal computers.  after developing the prototype they will install it in a tank and test everything out.

Obama states in an article on CNN that “In the midst of a deep recession and financial crisis, the collapse of the auto industry would have caused enormous damage to our economy.”  If GM reinvented itself then it would be good for the automobile industry and could help rebuild the industry completely. Treasury department put 19.4 billion into GM and 4 billion into Chrysler.  The estimated cost for each new vehicle is 1,300 in order to reach the 2016 automobile goals.  Automobile goals are high and it will be hard to accomplish but if we keep working at this I think our economy can handle the pressure.

http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/f/fuel_efficiency/index.html

http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2012-05-17/better-gas-mileage-thanks-to-the-pentagon

http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/09/15/obama.autos/index.html