Hybrids are the rage at International Auto Show as GM CEO calls for more flex-fuel vehicle production

The CEO of General Motors said that the US could cut its gasoline consumption by 30 billion gallons by 2020 if every flex-fuel car made or planned by the Big Three automakers ran on E85, while the number would jump to 75 billion gallons if all new cars made by all manufacturers used E85.

However, the International Auto Show this past week also featured a significant number of new hybrids that could reduce fuel consumption by up to 25 percent. Among the innovations, a new Two-Mode hybrid system that would allow cars to operate simultaneously on both electricity and gasoline.

Among the concept car hybrids debuted at the show, Chrysler unveiled a hybrid diesel-electric Jeep Renegade dune buggy. The Jeep can travel 40 miles on its lithium battery before switching to a cleantech diesel engine that can extend range to 400 miles and achieve 110 mpg. Chrysler also debuted a Dodge Zeo electric sports car with a range of 250 miles, and a Chrysler ecoVoyager powered by a plug-in battery and hydrogen fuel cells that has a total range of 300 miles with water vapor as the only emission.

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