Joint Statement Attributable to Chrysler Group President and CEO Tom Lasorda, Ford Motor Company President and CEO Alan Mulally,
26 Mars 2007 - 6:30PM
PR Newswire (US)
WASHINGTON, March 26 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- We appreciate the
President meeting with us today on issues that are critical to
reducing our nation's gasoline consumption and greenhouse gas
emissions. We had an open and constructive discussion on the use of
renewable and alternative fuels. All three companies conveyed to
the President their support for reducing gasoline consumption in
the U.S. A significant portion of such reductions can come from the
continued development and use of biofuels. We reiterated that each
company stands ready to make half of its annual vehicle production
E85 flexible fuel vehicles (FFV) or capable of running on biodiesel
by 2012. To capitalize on these commitments, we emphasized with the
President the need for increased incentives to produce and
distribute biofuels. We briefed the President about the more than 6
million FFVs on the road today and we will add over a million FFV
cars and trucks in 2007 alone. We explained to the President that
if all these vehicles were running on E85, they would displace more
than 3.6 billion gallons of gasoline a year. And even more
compelling, if all the E85 capable vehicles on the road today --
along with those that GM, Ford and DaimlerChrysler have already
committed to produce over the next 10 years -- were to run on E85,
we could displace 22 billion gallons of gasoline annually. Also, if
all manufacturers made a comparable commitment to make half their
annual production capable of running on biofuels, we could increase
the savings to 37 billion gallons of gasoline annually in 2017.
Furthermore, we pointed out the benefits of clean diesel technology
and that if all diesel vehicles today were fueled with B5 (five
percent biodiesel) we could displace 1.85 billion gallons of
petroleum per year; and 7.4 billion gallons per year if B20 (20
percent biodiesel) were utilized. In order to achieve these levels
of petroleum savings, we asked the President to help provide
Americans with reasonable access to these fuels at a price that is
competitive with gasoline. Right now there are approximately 1,100
E85 pumps in the U.S. and 1,000 biodiesel pumps, out of 170,000 gas
stations. We expressed to the President that we are willing to lead
the way, but we need government and fuel providers to increase
infrastructure before we can make a meaningful impact. In addition,
we discussed with the President that as part of an overall national
strategy to fully tap the potential of biofuels to displace
petroleum, vehicle production increases must be accompanied by
continuing the incentives that encourage the manufacture,
distribution, and availability of biofuels and the production of
flexible fuel vehicles. We updated the President on our wide range
of advanced vehicle technologies that run on alternative fuels such
as E85, biodiesel, electricity and hydrogen. Plug-in hybrid
vehicles can play a significant role in our transportation future.
Increased funding for domestic battery research and development can
help accelerate bringing these vehicles to market. Overall, we were
pleased with the exchange that we had with the President and all
parties came away with an understanding of the significant,
positive impact that biofuels can make on the environment and in
reducing our nation's reliance on oil. We welcome the opportunity
to continue working with President Bush, his Administration, and
the Congress in a bipartisan manner and to move forward on
solutions to these issues while continuing to do our part to ensure
America's long-standing leadership in manufacturing and innovation.
DATASOURCE: DaimlerChrysler Group CONTACT: Greg Martin of General
Motors, +1-202-775-5008; or Mike Moran of Ford Motor Company,
+1-202-962-5416; or Colin McBean of DaimlerChrysler,
+1-202-414-6713, all for DaimlerChrysler Group Web site:
http://www.media.daimlerchrysler.com/
http://www.daimlerchrysler.com/
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