Friday, October 9, 1998, 10:00 a.m. to Noon
708 Hart Senate Office Building

Overseas automakers are making unprecedented technological breakthroughs in clean vehicles that could have profound implications for policies that address air pollution, global climate change and national security. These technologies clearly will have an impact U.S. economic competitiveness. Some domestic automotive analysts are concerned that foreign auto manufacturers will capture the "green" markets of the future. Examples of progress by foreign automakers include:

• Daimler-Benz will soon roll out the first mass production "fuel cell" vehicle.

• onda already has the only gasoline-certified Ultra Low Emission Vehicle (ULEV)with significantly less vehicle emissions than any comparable U.S. production car.

• Toyota has recently unveiled its new electric/gasoline "hybrid" Prius (similar to a Corolla), which gets nearly twice the miles per gallon of its American counterpart.

Panelists at the briefing will discuss these clean vehicle technologies and how they could affect U.S. environmental policies and economic competitiveness. Understanding these developments is important for policymakers as they face increasing pressure to address problems created by motor vehicle use. For example:

• The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) predicts that air pollution from automobiles will continue to be a primary source of urban smog, carbon monoxide and particulate emissions.

• U.S. automobiles are the fastest growing source of greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming, according to the EPA. U.S. passenger cars and light trucks (minivans, sport utilities and pickup) alone emit more greenhouse gases than total emissions from all but three other countries.

• In 1997 oil imports added over $62 billion to the U.S. trade deficit, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Imported oil now accounts for almost 50 percent of total U.S.oil consumption and is projected to grow to 60 percent in the next decade.

The panel of expert speakers will include:

• Mike Walsh, former EPA official and current international automobile and air quality consultant;

• John Vaugn, Daimler Benz;

• A Honda representative;

• A Toyota representative.

Presentations from panelists will be followed by a question and answer period. The briefing is the sixth in an EESI series that explores new vehicle technologies and their policy impacts. The briefing is free and open to the public with no reservations required. For more information contact Michael Chelius at (202) 662-1885.