Getting GM To 'Stretch'

Rick Wagoner, chairman of General Motors, recently used terms that should be stricken from the vocabulary of American entrepreneurs. Requiring U.S. automobile manufacturers to raise their fuel efficiency to a fleet average of 35 miles per gallon for cars and trucks by 2020 would be "a stretch" and doesn't look "achievable," he said.

The nation that determined to send a man to the moon within a decade in the 1960s is capable of increasing automobile fuel efficiency by 10 miles per gallon in the next 13 years. If that's unachievable, then we might as well cede the automobile business to Japan.

By federal law, the Corporate Average Fuel Economy standard, commonly known as CAFE, is 25 mpg. With gas prices exceeding $3.25 a gallon, wouldn't it make sense to push seriously for much better mileage?

Congressional hearings have begun on proposals to raise CAFE limits to the 35 mpg threshold. Automobile manufacturers, conceding that public sentiment favors improved fuel efficiency, said they are willing to support a "reasonable" number, which they have yet to spell out. At least that's a start.

Mr. Wagoner and his colleagues in the automobile industry also testified last week that the country should invest in developing alternative fuels and advanced batteries for hybrids instead of forcing automakers to abide by 35 mpg.

Alternative fuels and battery-powered engines should be part of our future. Taxpayers, of course, would pay a good portion of the bill for the necessary research because it's in the public interest to conserve energy and make cleaner cars.

In the meantime, however, let's also improve the efficiency of vehicles powered by fossil fuels. Developing good cars that go at least 35 miles on a single gallon should not be an impossible dream. Not if the target date is 2020.