The development of fuel-efficient cars was primarily in response to the OPEC oil crisis of the nineteen-seventies and the dramatic rise in gasoline prices for American motorists. Up until the Yom Kippur War of 1973, Americans drove high-powered, gas guzzling cars. Since gasoline was so cheap, consumers were not interested in purchasing fuel-efficient cars. Subsequently, the Detroit automakers did not design or produce fuel-efficient cars. Within a few years, the market demand changed with skyrocketing oil prices. Fuel-efficient cars became a necessity, not only in the eyes of the consumer but also in the eyes of the auto industry and the American government.

For nearly a century, vehicles have been powered by internal combustion engines, which operate by burning its fuel inside the engine. The most common internal combustion engine is gasoline powered. Others include diesel, hydrogen, methane, or propane. From a technological perspective, gasoline-powered internal combustion engines have limitations in terms of performance and fuel-efficiency. Eventually they will have to be replaced by power systems that do not rely on internal combustion technology.

Future developments will depend upon the market demand, political stability, or instability in the Middle East, and government positions on fuel economy. From a longer perspective, it is certain gasoline-powered cars will go the way of the horse and buggy. Technology offers many alternatives for powering vehicles, including hydrogen fuel cells and other innovative technologies.

Electrical cars are another option, but present models are not ideal because the batteries they use do not hold the same amount of energy as a car powered by fuel injection, few recharging stations, and relatively high cost. However, they have far lower maintenance costs than gas powered vehicles. Besides replacing the battery every two or three years for several thousand dollars, checking brake and power steering levels, not much service is required. The driver must stop and recharge the battery every few miles for several hours. Advantages are it is quiet, smooth, and accelerates a lot better than expressed.

American automakers will certainly not be enthusiastic about it, as indicated by their lack of interest in producing fuel-efficient cars in 2003. Japanese models made by Toyota, Honda, Suzuki, and Subaru are still the most fuel-efficient cars on the American road. (Busch) If the past is any indication, Japanese automakers will continue to set the pace in developing more fuel-efficient cars and pioneering technology that will make alternative fueled cars more practical than they are now. (CNN)

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