I read an article on Yahoo today regarding General Motors' plans to improve their sport utility vehicles' gas mileage. The plan is pretty ambitious and involves using a lithium-ion battery that would allow GM's SUVs to run 70 miles on a single tank of gas. In theory, such a vehicle could run 10 to 20 miles without using any gas, as the battery would supply the power up to that point. GM has teamed up with battery manufacturers to develop this battery, which would be plugged into an electrical outlet for charging.

This plan sounds good on a number of levels, namely that SUVs could finally stop being the tremendous gas-guzzlers that they usually are. Since people are going to drive them anyway, GM might as well improve their gas mileage. On the other hand, what will stop people from driving increasingly larger vehicles, since they might feel that the car companies will eventually improve the gas mileage? In other words, this move may discourage people from buying Prius-type hybrids or hydrogen vehicles or any other more fuel efficient cars. In addition, by increasing the electricity demand in order to charge these batteries, are we really making a dent in the global warming issue? We may be decreasing emissions from gas by allowing the vehicles to run up to 20 miles without even accessing the gas in the tanks, yet we are probably going to burning more coal to charge the batteries. Perhaps the net increase in electrical use will be far off-set by the gas savings, but I didn't see anything showing such a comparison.

In any event, I suppose the best part of this whole process is that die-hard SUV drivers will continue driving them but will be using less gas; perhaps that decreased oil demand may allow more room for alternative energy development. I suppose we may also reach the point where these batteries could be recharged simply by directing them into the sun. Further, once this battery is perfected, it may be so efficient that we can decrease the gas useage even further. All in all, GM's move does sound like a positive one and one where the potential pitfalls may be able to be turned into further gains.