U.S. Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz announced the DOE’s $50 million pledge to aid in the development of fuel efficient technology.
Sales of plug-in vehicles nearly doubled from 2012 to 2013, accounting for nearly 100,000 sales in 2013. Although that number is still less than one percent of car sales in America, a move toward fuel-efficient cars has hit historic highs.
Ron Cogan, publisher and editor of Green Car Journal, suggested, “There’s going to be a huge competition between plug-ins and internal combustion engines or clean diesel because the efficiencies are increasing at such a rate.” He estimates one-third of automobiles making the rounds at the nation’s car shows are fuel-efficient, including hybrids and clean diesel.
The Washington D.C. show in particular has taken on a more prominent roll as it becomes a place where automakers and policy makers meet and see how fuel efficiency is being introduced in consumer fleet vehicles.