Driving to work may look a lot different seven years from now, if a plan announced Tuesday by President Obama comes to fruition.

Obama plans to set new standards for vehicle fuel and emissions. According to his proposal, all new vehicles will have to be 30 percent cleaner by 2016 and will have to manage an average of 35.5 miles per gallon of fuel.

That's comparable to current hybrid models.

But major research stands in the way of making his plan a concrete reality, research that is going on, in part, through Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

"Our group develops composite materials, which are basically plastics reinforced with higher strength fibers such as fiberglass or carbon fibers," said scientist Bob Norris.

Carbon composites are necessary for one of the most important aspects of fuel emission reduction, vehicle weight.

With carbon fiber composites, scientists can slice the weight of a car in half.

"Some people estimate that for every 10 percent of weight savings in the structure, you save 5 percent or more in terms of fuel economy," Norris said.

Norris adds that when it comes to more fuel-efficient vehicles, weight isn't everything. Alternative fueled vehicles that are cost-efficient are the next step.

"If you buy a hybrid electric vehicle today, you're going to be paying anything from $1,500 to 4 or $5,000 over what you'd pay for a comparable vehicle without an electric drive. We here at the power electronics area are trying to take out about 80 percent of the cost," said Mitchell Olszewski of the National Transportation Research Center.

Researchers are working to accomplish that through reducing the size and process cost of commercial makes, like the Toyota Camry Hybrid.

Researchers believe the technology could begin transforming local car dealer showrooms within the next few years.

They add that the materials they're using are at least as safe, if not safer, than current steel framed cars.