The American auto industry has been making big changes in its response to climate-related issues.
But there’s a huge disconnect between what it’s doing now and what it should be doing, according to researchers who spoke with ABC News.
The auto industry’s response to COVID-19 has been slow.
The industry has only been able to respond to the threat of COVID and other new viruses that have arisen, like SARS and coronavirus.
In the past, there have been big, sustained changes to the way cars were designed and manufactured, and many manufacturers have spent years trying to figure out how to reduce emissions, but that hasn’t been enough, said Peter Wessel, a professor at the University of Michigan’s Ann Arbor School of Management.
Wessel, who has been researching car emissions since 2002, has been tracking emissions in the United States for more than three decades.
He says the auto makers’ response to this pandemic has been, “The only way to reduce our COVID transmission risk is to do more than just plug in and drive.”
He says that while the auto companies have made significant strides, the changes haven’t kept pace with changing climates.
“The auto companies are now starting to think, How do we reduce our carbon footprint?”
Wessel said.
“And they’ve made significant investments in that.”
Wessel says the automotive industry has focused on reducing emissions through more sophisticated and sophisticated technologies, like high-tech airbags and hybrid electric vehicles.
He points to the recent development of an advanced, plug-in hybrid that can make more than 100 miles per gallon (160 kilometers per hour) in just about any highway conditions.
But that’s only part of the solution.
Wethers has been following the auto manufacturers’ response, too.
He has studied how carmakers have responded to the COVID pandemic in the past.
And he found that the auto manufactures’ approach to the pandemic was not as fast as they could have been.
He says that many companies that have been working on COVID mitigation for decades have failed to adopt the technology they need to make the biggest impact, like a new hybrid engine or better airbags.
Wethers says the new technology could provide the best chance for the auto firms to make big changes to their operations.
“If we could develop this technology, and have the manufacturers adopt it and invest in it, it would have huge implications for the entire auto industry,” he said.
Withers has also been studying how the auto giants are responding to the climate crisis, as well as what other automakers should be working on.
He has found that a number of the auto brands are struggling to address the climate-induced problems, like pollution in the atmosphere and the lack of fuel efficiency in their vehicles.
The car industry needs to find a way to respond quickly to these challenges, but it needs to be able to do it effectively, Wetherss said.
The auto makers are taking a very long time to figure that out, and they’re not doing it right.
“The car manufacturers haven’t done a good job of doing that,” he added.
Worsening climate is also hurting the industry’s competitiveness.
Many people are concerned that carmakers won’t be able afford to make new models in the future, according the researchers.
And it’s not clear that these automakers can make cars that will be profitable and environmentally friendly.
That means that car companies won’t have as many profitable vehicles to sell.
And if they can’t make new cars, it could hurt the entire economy.
Wulf says that car makers should start planning for the future.
And the auto sector should also be working with policymakers to develop a strategy for meeting the needs of a changing climate, including a more efficient fleet, he said, adding that the car makers need to do that.
“It’s a really big question mark whether we’ll be able for the next generation of cars to meet the needs, the emissions, and the COX-2 emissions that we are experiencing,” Wulf said.