Plug-in Hybrids: The Future of Cars?

January 31, 2008, 12:00pm – 1:30pm

About This Event

U.S. reliance on oil – primarily for transportation – has many negative impacts. To pay for this oil, American consumers send billions of dollars to other countries including some that are incongruent with U.S. interests. And we are dependent on this fuel from countries rife with political instability. Conflicts there can cause the oil price to spike. In short, oil dependence threatens our economy and national security.

In addition, the combustion of oil and petroleum products – particularly gasoline – threatens our environment. Emissions of greenhouse gases from motor vehicles are the second largest source of U.S. global warming pollution.

Congress began to address these problems with the enactment of the Energy Independence and Security Act. President Bush signed it into law on December 19, 2007. It includes the first increase in fuel economy standards since 1975. It would require cars and light trucks to meet an average fuel economy standard of 35 miles per gallon by 2020, with interim steps in the early years.

Now that the new law sets a fuel economy destination, auto companies can travel there via various routes. Some companies, such as General Motors, plan to develop "plug in hybrids" that rely on batteries recharged via AC outlets, combined with gasoline. Other companies plan to develop cars that rely on different fuels. Each system has its advantages and drawbacks.

This event will bring together leaders from General Motors and Honda to discuss their various approaches to achievement of the new fuel economy standards. An impartial automotive engineer from the Union of Concerned Scientists will provide his perspective as well. The ultimate technology "winner" could affect our transportation system for years to come.

Featured Panelists:

Jack Deppe, Energy Storage Consultant, Office of Vehicle Technologies, Department of Energy
John German, Manager of Environmental and Energy Analyses, American Honda Motor Company
Jim Kliesch, Senior Engineer, Union of Concerned Scientists
Jonathan J. Lauckner, Vice President, General Motors

Moderated by:

Daniel J.  Weiss, Senior Fellow, Director of Climate Strategy, Center for American Progress

Location

Center for American Progress
1333 H St. NW, 10th Floor
Washington, DC 20005

Resources

Listen to the Events:

Biographies

Dr. Jack Deppe is an energy storage consultant with 15 years of experience in electrochemistry and theoretical physics with concentrations in ionic conduction, battery diagnostics, and material science. Currently, he provides technical/analytical support to the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Vehicle Technologies (OVT) in the areas of applied and basic research on Li ion batteries for electric and hybrid electric vehicles. He also serves on the Electrochemical Energy Storage Technical Team of the United States Advance Battery Consortium (USABC).

Dr. Deppe is a consultant for Lawrence Berkeley National Labs in support of DOE/OVT since 2004. Prior to that position, he was an independent consultant to Sentech Inc. in support of DOE/OVT, for 2000 to 2004. He holds a Ph.D. in physics for the University of California, Irvine.

John German is Manager of Environmental and Energy Analyses for American Honda Motor Company. His responsibilities include anything connected with environmental and energy matters, with an emphasis on being a liaison between Honda's R&D people in Japan and regulatory affairs.

Mr. German has been involved with advanced technology and fuel economy since joining Chrysler in 1976, where he spent 8 years in Powertrain Engineering working on fuel economy issues. Prior to joining Honda 10 years ago, he spent 13 years doing research and writing regulations for EPA's Office of Mobile Sources' laboratory in Ann Arbor, MI. Mr. German is the author of a variety of technical papers and a book on hybrid gasoline-electric vehicles published by SAE. He was the first recipient of the Barry D. McNutt award, presented annually by SAE for Excellence in Automotive Policy Analysis.

He has a bachelor's degree in Physics from the University of Michigan and got over half way through an MBA before he came to his senses.

Jim Kliesch is a Senior Engineer with the Union of Concerned Scientists. He has authored or co-authored numerous books, articles, and reports for both technical and mainstream audiences assessing the potential and challenges of environmentally-friendly vehicle technologies. He works on an array of vehicle and energy-related topics, from detailed vehicle technology evaluations to assessing the impact of vehicle policies on global warming pollution and America's oil addiction.

Before joining UCS, Mr. Kliesch spent eight years with the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE), where he served as author and lead vehicle analyst of the preeminent U.S. buyer's guide to eco-friendly vehicles, ACEEE's Green Book®: The Environmental Guide to Cars and Trucks, and its online counterpart, greenercars.org. His technical reports include, among others, Plug-In Hybrids: An Environmental and Economic Performance Outlook, and Deliberating Diesel: Environmental, Technical, and Social Factors Affecting Diesel Passenger Vehicle Prospects in the United States.

A national expert on clean and efficient vehicle technologies, Mr. Kliesch has been consulted by numerous news outlets, including the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Detroit Free Press, ABC News, CNN, MSNBC, and Automotive News, on the topic of automobiles and the environment. He holds a Bachelors degree in Electrical Engineering, and a Masters in Environmental and Energy Policy.

Jon Lauckner was appointed vice president of General Motors global program management effective May 1, 2005. In that role, he leads an organization which includes GM's vehicle line executives and the global and regional program management groups. In addition, as a member of GM's Automotive Product Board, he is part of the GM Automotive Leadership Group.

Lauckner began his career with General Motors in 1979 as a salaried-employee-in-training with Buick Motor Division. Lauckner held various positions in powertrain and vehicle engineering until 1984 when he was named product line manager for large and luxury cars for Buick. In 1988, he transferred to the Marketing and Product Planning Staff in Detroit, and, in 1990, was appointed director of market and business analysis for Asia-Pacific and Latin America.

In 1992, Lauckner moved overseas as director of export operations and trade development for GM do Brasil in Sao Paulo. In 1995, he became director of planning for GM do Brasil, with responsibility for product planning and program management.

In January 2000, Lauckner was appointed vehicle line executive for compact cars for General Motors Europe, with responsibility for the Opel/Vauxhall Astra and Zafira. In May 2004, Lauckner became the global vehicle line executive for the Epsilon Architecture, based in Russelsheim, Germany, until his latest appointment.

Born October 5, 1957, Lauckner received a bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Michigan in 1979. He earned a master's of science degree in management from Stanford Business School in 1990 through the Sloan Fellowship program and attended the GM-Harvard Senior Executive Program in 2001.

Daniel J. Weiss is a Senior Fellow and the Director of Climate Strategy at the Center for American Progress, where he leads the Center's clean energy and climate advocacy campaign. Before coming to CAP, he spent 25 years working with environmental advocacy organizations and political campaigns. Weiss is an expert in energy and environmental policy; legislative strategy and tactics; and advocacy communications. Most recently, he was a senior vice president with M+R Strategic Services, where he oversaw collaborative campaign efforts by 15 major national environmental organizations working to oppose anti-environmental legislation. This included field organizers, grassroots mobilization, earned and paid media, and opinion research.

Prior to M+R Strategic Services, Weiss served for 16 years at the Sierra Club, first as a Washington representative, then as director of the Environmental Quality Program, and for the final eight years as political director. He was chief strategist and lobbyist for legislative campaigns around the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, the Food Security Act, and budget bills. Weiss also designed and managed the Sierra Club's political action committee, endorsements, and $9 million Environmental Voter Education Campaign in 2000.

A graduate of the University of Michigan with both a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Public Policy degrees, Weiss has been involved with presidential, Senate, and House campaigns across the country since he was old enough to vote. In the 1990s, Roll Call named him one of the "Fabulous 50 Political People" and Regardie's magazine listed him in the "Power 100: 100 Most Influential People in Private Washington." Weiss is married to Sherry Ettleson and has two girls and a boy in elementary school. His father-in-law and brother-in-law are auto dealers in the Chicago area.