The President today laid out a number of measures to help America shift to a clean energy economy, reducing our dependence on oil, protecting our planet, and spurring economic growth through cleaner and more efficient, cars, and trucks.
[O]ne of the best ways to reduce our dependence on oil is by making our cars and trucks more energy efficient, because transportation accounts for more than 70 percent of America’s oil consumption. And by the way, using energy efficient cars and trucks also makes economic sense, because transportation is one of the biggest costs for many businesses and families. So, energy-efficient cars and trucks won’t just cut our dependence on oil; they’ll save us money.
If we’re serious about making the transition from gas-guzzlers to hybrids, we need to show automakers that there’s a real market for these vehicles. We need to show them that if they manufacture fuel efficient cars and trucks, people will actually buy them. In other words, we need to put our money where our mouth is.
I’m proud to say this is one place where the government is leading by example. Right now, the government’s fleet includes more than 600,000 vehicles, making it the single largest fleet in America. That means we have considerable purchasing power, and we’re using it to boost clean energy technologies. Already, we’ve doubled the number of federal cars and trucks that are hybrids, and I’m directing our departments and agencies to make sure 100 percent of the vehicles they buy are fuel-efficient or clean energy cars and trucks by 2015. Not 50 percent, not 75 percent, but 100 percent of our vehicles.
Alongside efforts by the federal government, the President set out measures to help the private sector shift to more fuel-efficient vehicles:
That’s why we’re launching a National Clean Fleets Partnership. If you’re a business that needs to transport goods, I’m challenging you to replace your old fleet with a clean energy fleet that’s not only good for your bottom line, but good for our economy, good for our country, and good for our planet. And if you accept this challenge and join our Clean Fleets Partnership, we’ll make a number of tools available—from technical assistance to cutting-edge research and development—that will help you make the transition to a clean energy fleet.
It’s not just about fleets of vehicles there are measures for all cars and trucks on America’s roads. Last year, a national fuel-efficiency standard for cars and trucks was introduced, meaning that new cars will get better gas mileage and this year the first-ever fuel standards for heavy-duty trucks will be announced.
Earlier this week President Obama set a goal for reducing the amount of oil America imports by a third, the measures set out today will help achieve that goal.