Senator Calls for Consumer Changes, Plug-Ins to Decrease Fuel Consumption

19 August 2005

The Telegraph. During a recent townhall meeting, US Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) stressed the need for a combination of change in consumer habits and new technology such as plug-in hybrids to reduce gasoline and oil consumption.

Obama was the author of the provision in the recently-passed Energy Policy Act of 2005 that provides funding for the development of flex-fuel plug-in hybrids.

Obama said there is no short-term solution for the high prices.

“There is a long-term solution, but people may not want to hear it: People need to cut back,” he said. “Three percent of the world’s population is consuming 25 percent of the energy,” particularly by driving large trucks and sport utility vehicles.

“There is a finite supply, and the demand is going up through the roof,” Obama said. “In China and India, there are three billion people who don’t have a car yet, and they want to buy one.”

He launched into a favorite subject: energy-efficient cars. He said people could get 200 to 250 miles per gallon by driving a plug-in hybrid car, but “Detroit has not been producing those cars.”

“We’re going to have to do something about technology to improve fuel efficiency,” he said.