Ohhhh, the horrible terrible fate! The death of the Amuricun pickup.....
I mean, that's striking at the heart of America! The basturds!! :-(

Oh dear. Hear we go again. Was it not so long ago that the guvment was going to destroy the sports car, the V-8 engine, the convertible, the luxury car....etc.etc, etc.?

This morning I got a message on my answering machine asking me to call my Senator and tell him to vote against some energy bill that was being considered in Congress today, Senate bill 1419. It was from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. They were up in arms alright, claiming the Senate was going to vote for a bill that would lead to less energy independence and lead us to an energy crisis like the one in the 1970's.

In Kentucky, my Senator is Republican Mitch McConnell. Since helll would freeze over twice and pigs would fly before Mitch would ever vote against the interests of the Chamber of the Overlords, I felt no compulsion to make a phone call. With Mitch, it was a done deal.

Coming back to the focus of this string of posts, the pickup truck. The part of the energy bill that has pickup, van and towing vehicle operators in an uproar seems to revolve around the new CAFE provisions and are pretty well captured in the article,
"Montana Pick-Up Truck Users Concerned about Legislation in U.S. Senate"
http://www.autospectator.com/modules/news/article.php?storyid=9926

However, the Autospectator article gives few particulars, the issue being summed up thusly:
"Title V of S. 1419 would create a single car and light truck fuel economy standard of 52 miles per gallon by 2030."
"S. 1419 is extreme, by any yardstick. For the foreseeable future, few autos could achieve 52 mpg."

Of course this is absolutely true. But can we consider 2030 to be the foreseeable future? Developments are moving fast in efficiency gains in pickups and other types of trucks used for haulage perhaps faster than any other area of highway vehicle.

The breakthroughs have principly been in two major areas: Clean Diesel engines and drivetrain technology, in particular, hybrid drivetrains. UPS, FedEx, the U.S. Army, Ford, Eaton Corp., and the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) among others are engaged in work to build the next generation trucks, with hydraulic hybrid being one of the most promising technologies available:

www.epa.gov/otaq/technology/420f04024.pdf

http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/4d84d5d9a719de8c85257018005467c2/b4ebc6dc24d675ff85257194005c9943!OpenDocument

http://www.epa.gov/otaq/technology/420f06054.htm

http://www.autoblog.com/2006/06/26/epa-unveils-hydraulic-hybrid-ups-deli...

There are many U.S. businesses endorsing the idea of high efficiency trucks, delivery vehicles, vans, buses and taxis. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce must feel a bit of a sense of divided loyalty, as many of these businesses will simply not be able to get traction without a bit of "push" from federal regulation. The idea that state regulation can achieve the desired ends seems debatable, and in fact, in the case of Diesel engines, has actually destroyed innovation, as market regulations are chipped up into smaller and smaller pieces. Firms find it hard to build to 30 sets of regulations, one more case in which, contrary to first impressions, federal regulation may actually be of major benefit to the American business community.

The Chamber of Commerce seems to take the position that the energy issue is simply one of access to the oil and gas we have.
U.S. Chamber of Commerce ad:

http://www.uschamber.com/NR/rdonlyres/exsn4iz7vvph22mmurazedlysk7kg776c4...

In this, the Chamber echoes the argument put forth by the American Petroleum Institute and the oil industry at large, including the road show by Shell Oil President Hoffmiester.

Soon, the National Petroleum Council is to release a long and very involved study of world oil and gas resources. If they take the position that the whole energy issue is simply one of access to resources that are in fact out there, the die is cast. All efforts by the powers that be will be about getting access to that oil and gas by political and public relations means. Efforts at real alternatives will be starved to death for funding, and talent will go off to deal with something with some promise.

This is a dangerous situation. All bets are gradually being placed on only one plan: The opening of all areas of North America to unlimited drilling, and the belief (we have no proof either way) that the petroleum will be there. If it is not, or if the legal decisions needed to gain access to it do not occur, it will be too late to do much else except live with the massive supply shortage.

The United States Chamber of Commerce seems to be taking a very short sighted view. American business WILL have to become more modern and efficient, and much more accepting of advanced technology if they hope to survive. And many businesses are in fact doing just that. Along with the above mentioned firms involved in what will become the advanced and efficient hauling vehicles of tomorrow are firms like Walmart and other firms with pioneering work in photovoltaic roofing and advanced efficiency trucks.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is soon going to have to decide whether it will become an impediment to the advances being made by the business community, many of whom are Chamber members, or whether it wants to endorse a fair legal structure to protect the modern and responsible firms who are doing the right thing from unfair competition by outdated energy hogs that simply want to burn all they can get and discharge the carbon into the air, and let someone else try to clean up the mess. If the Chamber chooses the wrong side, they could gradually become more and more irrelevent, even to thier own members.

As for the pickup: I am looking forward to the advanced high power trucks of 2030...I'm thinking it will be all wheel drive with motors in the wheel hubs, AC motors with regen braking, a small Capstone type turbine running on propane/methane driving the motor/alternator, advanced nano battery set, combined with an ultra capacitor for heavy overload, charge maintained by photovoltaic panels back at the shop or the home, with the propane/methane set only for extreme loads or heavy long distance hauling of the kind the truck was made for. hmmm....it could be fun to go to work, just to get to use the truck! :-)

Roger Conner Jr.
Remember, we are only one cubic mile from freedom