For consumers trying to decide whether to fill their cars’ fuel tanks this weekend or buy groceries come encouraging words from General Motors’ top research and development executive: the technologies exist now to significantly lessen the nation’s dependence on imported oil and get energy prices back under control.
Eventually.
“While this [fuel price] problem has hit us hard, it has hit us at a time when technology offers us solutions,” said Larry Burns, who was in the New York area for the day Thursday from his home base near Detroit for a couple of meetings, including a lunch at Newsday’s Melville headquarters.
The key, he says, is to develop those technologies sufficiently — hopefully with more help from federal and local governments — to provide real competition for OPEC’s petroleum, to force prices downward.
That’s the only way, he contends, because, unlike those in the 1970’s that were due to temporary global supply interruptions, this price runup is rooted in the Third World’s growing need for oil. “It’s a demand driven shock,” said Burns, “We’re going to have to live with expensive energy.”
There’s no single solution, he says, but those with the most potential include biofuels from waste such as grass clippings; more domestic natural gas and hydrogen fuel cells for rechargeable and hybrid electric cars.
“The reason they charge $120 a barrel for oil,” he said, “is because they can.”
Lunching on a cheeseburger and fries, Burns talked of a new DNA for cars, including electronic and digital controls replacing mechanical and hydraulic ones and with electric motors at each wheel providing propulsion and even steering to eliminate the drivetrain and steering gear as we know it — all to save weight, increasing fuel efficiency.
While Americans undoubtedly will be shifting to smaller vehicles in coming years, Burns said, the family car or small SUV so integral to the American lifestyle need not become a relic — not if alternatives to gasoline can be successfully developed.
The family’s second car, though, might well be a small electric, such as the plug-in hybrid Chevrolet Volt GM is now promising dealers for the 2010 model year.
One alternative he’s not enthusiastic about, though, is an increase in the use of diesel for cars — as the Europeans have encouraged through taxation. It’s fine for trucks — vehicles that need the hauling the power of a diesel’s high torque, but the technology’s 20 percent efficiency advantange over a gasoline engine is outweighed by the high costs of diesels, Burns contends — especially the super clean diesels to meet California and New York exhaust emission standards. “It doesn’t solve the problem and it takes a lot of capital,” he said.
And, he notes, diesel fuel is about 75 cents a gallon more expensive than gasoline, amid rising world demand.
Critics might say that automakers like GM haven’t done their parts — pushing hulking SUVs for their higher profits over more fuel-efficient cars, but Burns said 12 of GM’s last 13 new model intro’s were of cars or small “crossover” SUV’s.
Ever-ready, like most auto executives, to slip a commercial into a conversation, Burns also said that General Motors’ sales and market share have risen in the New York area, led by the new Chevrolet Malibu.
--Tom Incantalupo
