U.S. raises auto fuel efficiency bar

The Obama administration has announced strict new vehicle fuel-efficiency standards, requiring that the U.S. auto fleet average 54.5 miles per gallon (23.2 km per liter) by 2025. The new rules expand on existing standards requiring American-made cars and light trucks to average 34.5 miles per gallon (14.7 km per liter) by 2016. They will significantly cut U.S. oil consumption and greenhouse gas emissions by the time they are fully implemented, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
“These fuel standards represent the single most important step we’ve ever taken to reduce our dependence on foreign oil,” President Barack Obama said. This second phase of standards, which apply to models released in the years 2017 to 2025, will double the efficiency of the U.S. fleet compared with vehicles manufactured in 2008.
This latest announcement marked the culmination of a compromise the White House forged with the auto industry, environmentalists, labor unions and the state of California, which enacted its own emissions standards for greenhouse gases several years ago. The administration battled the auto industry in court until they brokered a deal among all the parties in May of 2009.
Emission standards also established
In addition to increasing fuel efficiency, the rules also establish an emissions standard of 144 grams of carbon dioxide (C02) per mile for passenger cars and 203 grams of CO2 per mile for trucks. Light-duty vehicle emissions represent approximately 17% of the country’s total greenhouse-gas emissions. According to EPA estimates, the proposed standards would reduce CO2 emissions by 2 billion metric tons over the lifetimes of light-duty vehicles sold between the 2017 and 2025 model years. The EPA said that by 2025 the standards would cut U.S. oil consumption by 2.2 million barrels of oil per day compared with 2010 levels, and would save US$1.7 trillion in fuel costs and result in an average fuel savings of more than US$8,000 per vehicle. (August 29, 2012)