The Trump Mis-Administration today proposed [proposal < click here, thereby Making America Poor Again – AutoCrat] to reduce fuel efficiency standards for cars and light trucks. Obviously, this would significantly raise the cost of driving a car for years to come.* It also could also damage the competitiveness of U.S. automakers in a global industry. The preliminary Notice of Proposed Rulemaking – not yet officially published in the Federal Registers as required – would gut standards set by the Transportation Department’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in 2024. Those standards would save owners of personal vehicles an average of more than $600 in fuel costs over the life of a new vehicle.**
“Efficient vehicles save money for Americans. This proposal would raise fuel costs for millions of drivers, adding to the financial strain on families and businesses,” said Rachel Aland, transportation director at the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE). “If this rule is finalized, U.S. automakers will be less competitive as other countries race ahead in manufacturing cleaner vehicles that cost less to drive.”***
*AutoInformed on
**The NHTSA Administrator has signed the following document and submitted it for publication in the Federal Register. While steps have been taken to ensure the accuracy of this version of the document, it is not the official version. Please refer to the official version in a forthcoming Federal Register publication. You can access the Federal Register at https://www.federalregister.gov.
***The Biden Administration CAFE change June 7, 2024 – Washington, DC
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration today issued new vehicle fuel economy standards that will save Americans more than $23 billion in fuel costs while reducing pollution. This rule is in accordance with continuous energy security efforts that date back to the 1970s, when the average vehicle got about 13 miles to the gallon.
In this final rule, fuel economy will increase 2% per year for model years 2027-2031 for passenger cars, while light trucks will increase 2% per year for model years 2029-2031. These increases will bring the average light-duty vehicle fuel economy up to approximately 50.4 miles per gallon by model year 2031, saving passenger car and light truck owners more than $600 in fuel over the lifetime of their vehicles
Heavy-duty pickup truck and van fuel efficiency will increase 10% per year for model years 2030-2032 and 8% per year for model years 2033-2035. This will result in a fleetwide average of approximately 35 miles per gallon by model year 2035, saving heavy-duty pickup and van owners more than $700 in fuel over the lifetime of their vehicles.
“Not only will these new standards save Americans money at the pump every time they fill up, they will also decrease harmful pollution and make America less reliant on foreign oil,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said. “These standards will save car owners more than $600 in gasoline costs over the lifetime of their vehicle.”
These improved standards will save almost 70 billion gallons of gasoline through 2050, preventing more than 710 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions by 2050.
“President Biden’s economic and climate agenda has catalyzed an American clean energy and manufacturing boom,” said President Biden’s National Climate Advisor Ali Zaidi. “From day one, the President has centered America’s workers, and unions that built our middle class, in this transformative agenda, positioning the U.S. auto sector as a leader in the world. The President’s agenda is working. On factory floors across the nation, our autoworkers are making cars and trucks that give American drivers more choices today than ever before. These fuel economy standards, rigorously aligned with our investments and standards across the federal government, deliver on the Biden-Harris Administration’s promise to build on this momentum and continue to spur job creation, and move faster and faster to tackle the climate crisis.”
“When Congress established the Corporate Average Fuel Economy program in the 1970s, the average vehicle got about 13 miles to the gallon. Under these new standards, the average light-duty vehicle will achieve nearly four times that at 50 miles per gallon,” NHTSA Deputy Administrator Sophie Shulman said. “These new fuel economy standards will save our nation billions of dollars, help reduce our dependence on fossil fuels, and make our air cleaner for everyone. Americans will enjoy the benefits of this rule for decades to come.”
The agency engaged with a broad set of stakeholders while crafting the final rule, including consumers, unions, automakers, states, environmental advocates, and others.
NHTSA’s new fuel economy standards complement the Environmental Protection Agency’s emissions standards for similar vehicle fleets. NHTSA worked closely with the EPA to optimize the effectiveness of its standards while minimizing compliance costs, consistent with applicable statutory factors.
The final rule sets increased standards that are consistent with Congress’ direction to conserve fuel and promote American energy independence and American automotive manufacturing, while providing flexibility to industry on how to achieve those targets. Though NHTSA does not consider electric and other alternative fuels when setting standards, manufacturers may use all available technologies – including advanced internal combustion engines, hybrid technologies and electric vehicles – for compliance.
Passenger cars are generally sedans, station wagons, and two-wheel drive crossovers and SUVs, while light trucks are generally four-wheel drive SUVs, pickups, minivans, and passenger/cargo vans. Heavy-duty pickup trucks and vans are generally Class 2b/3 work trucks, fleet SUVs, work vans, and cutaway chassis-cab vehicles.
For more information, please see NHTSA’s Corporate Average Fuel Economy page.
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn.
He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe.
Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap.
AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks.
Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
Trump Mis-Administration Proposes a Weaker CAFE
The Trump Mis-Administration today proposed [proposal < click here, thereby Making America Poor Again – AutoCrat] to reduce fuel efficiency standards for cars and light trucks. Obviously, this would significantly raise the cost of driving a car for years to come.* It also could also damage the competitiveness of U.S. automakers in a global industry. The preliminary Notice of Proposed Rulemaking – not yet officially published in the Federal Registers as required – would gut standards set by the Transportation Department’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in 2024. Those standards would save owners of personal vehicles an average of more than $600 in fuel costs over the life of a new vehicle.**
“Efficient vehicles save money for Americans. This proposal would raise fuel costs for millions of drivers, adding to the financial strain on families and businesses,” said Rachel Aland, transportation director at the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE). “If this rule is finalized, U.S. automakers will be less competitive as other countries race ahead in manufacturing cleaner vehicles that cost less to drive.”***
*AutoInformed on
**The NHTSA Administrator has signed the following document and submitted it for publication in the Federal Register. While steps have been taken to ensure the accuracy of this version of the document, it is not the official version. Please refer to the official version in a forthcoming Federal Register publication. You can access the Federal Register at https://www.federalregister.gov.
***The Biden Administration CAFE change June 7, 2024 – Washington, DC
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration today issued new vehicle fuel economy standards that will save Americans more than $23 billion in fuel costs while reducing pollution. This rule is in accordance with continuous energy security efforts that date back to the 1970s, when the average vehicle got about 13 miles to the gallon.
In this final rule, fuel economy will increase 2% per year for model years 2027-2031 for passenger cars, while light trucks will increase 2% per year for model years 2029-2031. These increases will bring the average light-duty vehicle fuel economy up to approximately 50.4 miles per gallon by model year 2031, saving passenger car and light truck owners more than $600 in fuel over the lifetime of their vehicles
Heavy-duty pickup truck and van fuel efficiency will increase 10% per year for model years 2030-2032 and 8% per year for model years 2033-2035. This will result in a fleetwide average of approximately 35 miles per gallon by model year 2035, saving heavy-duty pickup and van owners more than $700 in fuel over the lifetime of their vehicles.
“Not only will these new standards save Americans money at the pump every time they fill up, they will also decrease harmful pollution and make America less reliant on foreign oil,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said. “These standards will save car owners more than $600 in gasoline costs over the lifetime of their vehicle.”
These improved standards will save almost 70 billion gallons of gasoline through 2050, preventing more than 710 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions by 2050.
“President Biden’s economic and climate agenda has catalyzed an American clean energy and manufacturing boom,” said President Biden’s National Climate Advisor Ali Zaidi. “From day one, the President has centered America’s workers, and unions that built our middle class, in this transformative agenda, positioning the U.S. auto sector as a leader in the world. The President’s agenda is working. On factory floors across the nation, our autoworkers are making cars and trucks that give American drivers more choices today than ever before. These fuel economy standards, rigorously aligned with our investments and standards across the federal government, deliver on the Biden-Harris Administration’s promise to build on this momentum and continue to spur job creation, and move faster and faster to tackle the climate crisis.”
“When Congress established the Corporate Average Fuel Economy program in the 1970s, the average vehicle got about 13 miles to the gallon. Under these new standards, the average light-duty vehicle will achieve nearly four times that at 50 miles per gallon,” NHTSA Deputy Administrator Sophie Shulman said. “These new fuel economy standards will save our nation billions of dollars, help reduce our dependence on fossil fuels, and make our air cleaner for everyone. Americans will enjoy the benefits of this rule for decades to come.”
The agency engaged with a broad set of stakeholders while crafting the final rule, including consumers, unions, automakers, states, environmental advocates, and others.
NHTSA’s new fuel economy standards complement the Environmental Protection Agency’s emissions standards for similar vehicle fleets. NHTSA worked closely with the EPA to optimize the effectiveness of its standards while minimizing compliance costs, consistent with applicable statutory factors.
The final rule sets increased standards that are consistent with Congress’ direction to conserve fuel and promote American energy independence and American automotive manufacturing, while providing flexibility to industry on how to achieve those targets. Though NHTSA does not consider electric and other alternative fuels when setting standards, manufacturers may use all available technologies – including advanced internal combustion engines, hybrid technologies and electric vehicles – for compliance.
Passenger cars are generally sedans, station wagons, and two-wheel drive crossovers and SUVs, while light trucks are generally four-wheel drive SUVs, pickups, minivans, and passenger/cargo vans. Heavy-duty pickup trucks and vans are generally Class 2b/3 work trucks, fleet SUVs, work vans, and cutaway chassis-cab vehicles.
For more information, please see NHTSA’s Corporate Average Fuel Economy page.
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn. He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe. Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap. AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks. Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.