According to ARB Chairman Mary Nichols, the new rules “will clean our air, fight climate change and provide cars that save consumers thousands of dollars at the pump.” Specifically, by proposing tougher smog standards starting with MY 2015, cars built in 2025 will emit 75 percent less smog-forming pollution compared to 2014. In the past, similar legislation (known as Low Emission Vehicle I) reduced smog by 75 percent between 1994 and 2003. Greenhouse gas emissions, for which regulations go into effect in 2017, are predicted to be 34 percent lower for MY 2025 vehicles than those made in 2016. Over the course of the regulations, it is estimated that greenhouse gases will be reduced by roughly 52 million tons, or the equivalent of taking 10 million cars off the road for one year.

The vital source of these emission reductions is the 1.4 million plug-in hybrid and zero-emission vehicles that will be on the road by 2025—if all goes according to plan. Essentially, manufacturers will be required “to offer for sale specific numbers of the very cleanest cars available.” ARB estimates that while the cost of new vehicles with high-efficiency technology would increase by an average of $1,900, the payback period would be between one and 3½ years. Over the course of a typical consumer’s ownership of such a vehicle (eight years), the owner would save an average of $4,000, which translates to about $6,000 over the lifetime of the car. Even if these estimates are correct, however, consumer demand will ultimately decide when (or if) the electric vehicle industry can thrive and sustain growth over the long term.

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As an integral part of the competition, schools measure their energy usage, which in and of itself helps raise awareness of consumption levels. Last year 121 schools took part in the challenge, reducing electricity usage “by an average of 4.5% from the baseline. Collectively that was a total reduction of 1,036,816 kilowatt hours and $124,418 saved from their electric bills.”

In addition to the energy challenge portion of the competition, students can take part in the annual Green Cup Challenge video contest. Some of the creative and inventive ways that students are going about saving energy are highlighted in these short productions.

The Green Schools Alliance, which organizes the challenge, was founded roughly 5 years ago. It “is a national non-profit organization uniting schools around the world to address 21st century environmental and climate challenges. Through its nearly 3,000 public, private and independent K-12 school members and chapters, GSA is reaching more than 2 million students in 40 U.S. states and 11 countries.” For more information on how your school can join, click here.

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Though there wasn’t much new in terms of policy, Obama did lay out a bold goal for clean energy, saying that the U.S. can get 80% of its electricity from clean sources by 2035. This includes natural gas, of course, which is cleaner than coal but not a renewable energy source.

The idea of domestic energy and national security was mentioned a few times, a recurring theme recently. Obama specifically envisioned “A future where we’re in control of our own energy, and our security and prosperity aren’t so tied to unstable parts of the world.” While biofuels were not mentioned by name, the president did acknowledge that with only 2% of the world’s oil reserves, “This country needs an all-out, all-of-the-above strategy that develops every available source of American energy.”

As is the tradition in presidential addresses, Obama cited working class individuals who were in the audience. In particular, he mentioned Bryan Ritterby, a formerly out-of-work furniture maker. Ritterby was hired at Energetx, a wind turbine manufacturer in Michigan.

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While several hybrid/electric vehicles revealed at the show were concept cars—for example, the hybrid Lexus LFLC sports coupe and the iconic Acura NSX hybrid supercar—many pre-production vehicles were also on display. Ford introduced a plug-in hybrid version of its top selling Fusion family sedan, which will be sold alongside a traditional hybrid variant. By 2020, Ford executives say plug-ins and hybrids will account for 10 to 25 percent of vehicle purchases. On Monday, Volkswagen introduced a hybrid version of its Passat, also a midsize sedan. Toyota unveiled the Prius C, a cheaper version of the original Prius (starting at $19,000), that will achieve an estimated 53 miles per gallon. Jim Lentz, president and Chief Operating Officer of Toyota USA, said it will have the “highest city fuel efficiency of any [production] car in the U.S. without a plug.” Mercedes introduced two hybrid versions for its E-class sedan, though only one will come to the U.S. The list goes on.

However, the ongoing excitement and buzz surrounding these vehicles has not translated into greater market share. The percent of hybrids sold in the U.S. actually dropped slightly last year, from 2.4 to 2.2 percent. The good news is that sales were up (the market as a whole grew by over 10 percent compared to 2010), but not in proportion to non-hybrid vehicles. Sales of all-electric vehicles and advanced plug-ins, such as the Nissan Leaf and Chevrolet Volt, also came in below expectations. Though Nissan was only a few hundred models short of meeting its 10,000-unit goal, the Volt missed the same target by well over 2,000 units. The sales figures may look bad now, but as a Washington Post article pointed out, so did sales of hybrids when they first came out in 2000.

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