Environmentalists push hybrid vehicles

The Honda Insight is a hybrid gasoline-electric vehicle for sale in the U.S. Environmentalists want U.S. automakers to follow the lead of Japan producers Toyota and Honda.

December 7, 1999
Web posted at: 1:43 p.m. EST (1843 GMT)

By Environmental News Network staff

Toyota and Honda are about to sell gasoline-electric hybrid cars in the United States. Environmentalists would like to see the "big three" automakers in Detroit do the same.

The Natural Resources Defense Council recently launched a web site intended to educate the public about alternatives to the internal combustion engine and encourage them to make the change to environmentally friendly cars.

"What we are trying to do is to try and figure out a way that we can quick start this transformation that is absolutely essential," said Jacob Scherr, a senior attorney for the council. "The goal is to obtain commitments from people to purchase 100,000 smart cars."

An online petition is posted on the environmental group's earthsmartcars web site. Visitors can submit the form to show their support for the development of market-ready hybrid cars.

"Automakers won't get really serious about building hybrid cars unless they think there's a market for them. We're going to show them that the demand exists," said Scherr.

To date 12,000 people have signed the petition. The goal is 100,000 by Earth Day 2000 on April 22. "We hope that for Earth Day 2000 people take a hard look at the automobile," he said.

Because the Toyota Prius is powered by both an electric motor and a gasoline engine, it never needs to be plugged in for recharging.

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The environmental organization is pleased that Honda and Toyota are ready to sell hybrid cars in the United States. However they believe a real change in the way people think about cars will not happen until the big three build cars with performance, convenience and price comparable to cars already on the market.

"If the U.S. is going to lead world, then clearly it is going to require a move away from gas burning cars to automobiles that use new types of power trains and fuels," said Scherr.

Hybrids combine a gasoline engine with an electric motor that recharges as the cars are driven. This negates the need for recharging equipment or extra stops at recharging stations — the cars can simply be refueled at the corner gas station, but they average 60 miles per gallon.

Hybrids also produce only a fraction of the pollution put out by conventional cars. The average car currently produces 11,000 pounds of pollutants every year, significantly contributing to global warming, acid rain, and health problems such as asthma, cancer and impaired respiratory and immune systems.

An appropriate bumper sticker for the campaign reads "upgrade car, upgrade earth," said Scherr.

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