Congressman's pitch: Hot little model that gets 50 mpg
Baird promotes bill that includes HOV-lane privileges for motorists who drive hybrid gas-electric
vehicles
Saturday, July 14, 2001
By CHARLES POPE
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT
WASHINGTON -- Joe Isuzu, meet Brian Baird.
"I love this car!" proclaimed Baird, the Democratic congressman from Washington's 3rd district as
he stood in the Capitol's parking lot on a sweltering Tuesday. Behind him stood the object of his
affection, his aqua 2000 Toyota Prius.
Surrounded by a knot of reporters and photographers only steps from the House floor, Baird
opened the doors, pointed out features on the dashboard, talked in detail about its performance, and
offered to give everybody and anybody a test drive.
There was, of course, a purpose to Baird's hawking. Unlike Joe ("He's lying") Isuzu, Baird had a
higher purpose than unloading a jalopy from the used car lot.
But the legislative process does involve salesmanship, and this was no different. He took part in the
news conference to highlight a bill he is co-sponsoring that would allow gas-electric hybrid vehicles
such as the Toyota Prius, with only the driver aboard, to travel in high-occupancy-vehicle lanes.
Baird, who was joined by the bill's author Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., and another co-sponsor,
Rep. Connie Morella, R-Md., thinks it makes sense to allow hybrid cars such as the Prius and
Honda Insight to use HOV lanes even when only one person is in the car. All three, in fact, own
Priuses, and all three brought their cars to the news conference.
The cars run on a conventional gasoline-fuel engine buttressed by an electrical motor. The car's
batteries are recharged when the gas-powered engine cuts in. The combination makes the cars
extraordinarily efficient (50 miles to the gallon on the highway and even more in city driving) and
far less polluting. And, as Baird is willing to tell anybody, "There's absolutely no compromise on
performance." He said he had the car moving quite fast on the highways in the Washington, D.C.,
area, though he wouldn't say exactly how fast.
A hybrid car emits 80 percent less pollution than a regular car because at low speeds it runs on the
electric motor.
In the more serious part of the event, Baird explained why the HOV exception makes sense.
"One of the intentions of HOV lanes is to reduce the emissions that accompany traffic snarls," he
said. "With this in mind, it makes perfect sense to allow folks who've chosen to drive hybrid cars
to travel in the HOV lanes."
Under the Clean Air Act, cars with just the driver are banned from HOV lanes. Motorcycles,
however, are exempt from this rule, which Baird says destroys any argument that letting hybrid
cars use the lanes would set a dangerous precedent
In Washington state, vehicles with two or more people are permitted to use HOV lanes. Unlike
many states, Washington state also enables a driver with a child passenger to travel in HOV lanes.
The bill wouldn't force states to allow the cars. Rather it would tell states that if they decided to
make the exception, it would not violate federal policy or regulations. Maryland, Virginia and
Arizona are the only states that currently allow hybrid vehicles to use HOV lanes even if the driver
has no passengers.
If more states allowed it, Baird said, more people would see hybrid cars, sales would go up, prices
would come down, the air would be cleaner and less fuel would be consumed.
Baird said it would also be symbolically important at a time when the availability and cost of energy
is a concern nationwide.
"As we re-examine our national energy policy, we need to find innovative ways to conserve natural
resources," he said. "This bipartisan bill sends a strong signal of congressional support for new
technology and lower emissions. Hybrid vehicles release significantly fewer emissions than
traditional gas powered cars and get much better gas mileage. This bill is good for the environment
and it would be good for southwest Washington."
Honda and Toyota, the only two automakers that currently offer the car, must subsidize it to keep
prices down, Baird said. But General Motors, Ford and Chrysler have all announced that they will
bring hybrids to market soon, and Baird hopes sales will grow. Currently, Honda and Toyota
estimate they will make 30,000 to 60,000 cars this year for sale in the United States.
By Thursday, Baird's salesmanship was rewarded. A House subcommittee added the HOV
provision to a larger energy bill without debate or hesitation. The subcommittee then approved the
bill by a 29-1 vote.
The auspicious start doesn't mean there will be no potholes ahead. The bill must be approved by the
full House Commerce Committee and then approved on the House floor, and energy policy is
proving to be contentious in Congress.
All that means Baird's days as a salesman aren't over yet. |
