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The Bush administration is adopting final rules that raise fuel economy standards for cars and light trucks by about 4 percent per year through 2015 via Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards. These are the biggest increases in fuel economy since energy regulation began more than 30 years ago. The rules will be effective with the 2011 model year, beginning Oct. 1, 2010.This is great news for consumers who are looking to squeeze more mileage out of every fuel-up, but complicates vehicle production for car manufacturers that sell vehicles in the United States and that are now facing unprecedented economic challenges.
Other upsi
des are that raising fuel economy standards enhances energy security by improving fuel economy. In addition, the increased standards address climate change by reducing tailpipe emissions of CO2. These emissions represent 97 percent of the total greenhouse gas emissions from motor vehicles. Implementation of these tougher standards are expected to add to the billions of barrels of fuel already saved since the CAFE program began.
First enacted by Congress in 1975, the purpose of CAFE is to reduce energy consumption by increasing the fuel economy of cars and light trucks. Regulating CAFE is the responsibility of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). NHTSA sets fuel economy standards for cars and light trucks sold in the U.S.; EPA calculates the average fuel economy for each manufacturer.
The Web site http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/ contains comprehensive information about CAFE, including a program overview, related rulemaking activities, research, fleet characteristics and summaries of manufacturers’ fuel economy performance since 1978.
Source: NHTSA