Energy Bill Drives Home Efficiency Factor

The Gianninis of Warren, Mich., are great believers in three things: their Chevy Avalanche, their GMC Envoy, and what Dennis Giannini, 47, calls "the great American ingenuity."

"President Kennedy said we'd go to the moon," he said. "There's no reason we can't make an SUV energy efficient."

"We're a smart country," added his wife, Claudia, 45.

The Gianninis, like several other tourists visiting the White House yesterday, seemed unfazed by the new reality posed by the energy bill that was passed by the Senate late Thursday. If the bill clears the House and is signed into law, vehicles like theirs will have to get 35 miles to the gallon by 2020, compared with about 22.2 miles per gallon today.

Claude Ford, 39, from Manitowoc, Wis., takes his family camping with their Chevy Tahoe sport-utility vehicle and remains skeptical of any projected SUV demise. "I'm sure they'll replace it with some amendment or make SUVs more efficient," he said.

David Krischer, 53, of Los Angeles, said he has hopes that luxury cars, like his custom-ordered BMW 550 sedan, will soon be made to get better gasoline mileage. Until then, however, he is not ready to give his up.

"It eats up a lot of gas," he said, sheepishly, "but we're all hypocrites anyway." He offers that he uses energy-saving light bulbs at his home.

Industry analysts say that the Senate bill is unlikely to effect earth-shaking changes in automotive sales in the next five years. But tougher fuel-efficiency standards eventually would force owners of small trucks and SUVs to come to terms with the Senate's political maneuverings.

"Consumers will have a higher awareness, to remind them what they should buy and what they shouldn't buy," said Jesse Toprak, executive director of industry analysis at Edmunds.com, a Web site that tracks auto trends.

"Compact cars are cheaper, but it can be a very compelling argument when you're standing next to a big shiny SUV thinking about taking your family summer vacation cramped in a tiny little compact," Toprak said.

So far, with gas prices high but tough efficiency standards still far in the future, the decline in large SUV sales has been slight. Sales of large SUVs made up 4.4 percent of the market in May 2007, compared with 4.8 percent in May 2003, when gas prices were lower, according to Edmunds.com. Sales of compact cars, on the other hand, rose to a record 20.9 percent in May 2007 from 14.8 percent in May 2003.

"Gas is crazy expensive," said Kate Mancani, 25, of Sterling Heights, Mich. She bought her dream car, a Ford Explorer, which gets 16 miles per gallon, in 2003, and said she was "trying to get rid of it."

She spends more than $50 a week on gas, and though she said she would miss the space of her SUV, she was considering a hybrid for her next car. "You change, you evolve," she said.

Chris O'Ferrell, 42, of Waterford, Va., has made his decision -- he would sell his black Hummer. He is heartbroken, but he knows this is the right choice. It has been three years, but this love affair can be no more.

With gasoline prices high and concerns of foreign oil dependency growing, O'Ferrell plans to trade in the Hummer for a hybrid. Like many matters of the heart, O'Ferrell's relationship was a tumultuous one: The Hummer, which gets 8 miles per gallon, has cost him $1,400 in maintenance and gas expenses per month.

"I absolutely still love it, but I can't justify it anymore," he said.