Aggressive fuel economy research and development funded by the federal government will reduce fuel consumption of long-haul trucks by 30%, Energy Secretary Steven Chu told a Senate committee Thursday.
Chu did not expand on how or when that goal could be achieved, but he assured Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.), chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, that federal officials are working hard to find ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the transportation sector, which accounts for roughly one-third of all U.S. carbon emissions.
Chu agreed with Bingaman that even if a controversial cap-and-trade bill is passed by the Senate, higher taxes at the pump would not alone solve the nation’s carbon emissions problem.
“The transportation sector is the most difficult and requires more research and development,” Chu said. He said the solution has to be “multi-pronged.”
“We should continue to improve the efficiency of our automobiles, not only our personal vehicles, but heavy trucks,” he said. “We think we can, for example, in long-haul trucking reduce energy consumption by 30%. That would be a very big deal.”
Chu’s statement came only a few weeks after the Department of Energy announced a $115.7 million research and development effort to create a “SuperTruck” that by 2015 could boost fuel economy of Class 8 long-haul heavy trucks by 50%.
By Eric Miller
Staff Reporter
