My conservative friends reacted with rage when they heard President Obama wanted to double the fuel economy of U.S. cars and trucks.
I never know if that rage is just because conservatives dislike everything Obama does, or if they just fear the economic ramifications of such total vehicle redesign -- especially here in the Motor City.
The drastic re-designing and re-engineering of vehicles would cost the automakers billions -- $157 billion, it is estimated. The Obama administration says, on the other hand, American drivers would save billions in gas.
Obama wants our car and light truck fleets by 2025 to average about 54 mpg. Right now those vehicles average about 27 mpg.
One important thing to remember is that we're talking "average" fuel economy. It's not like every pickup truck would have to get 54 mpg. It does mean that a whole lot of hybrids and electric cars would have to get 70-80 mpg.
And frankly, I'm not sure how the mileage of all-electric cars are figured in. Because, as you might guess, the fuel economy of a car that doesn't use fuel is off the charts. Literally.