You could hear a sigh of relief coming from automakers all around America. The Feds relaxed the fuel economy average for cars in America. The original rulings said that car companies must achieve a 58-mile per gallon average by 2031. The new standards call for just over 50-miles per gallon by then. The slowdown in electric vehicle interest is the likely reason for this.
- Jerry Reynolds, Car Pro Show Radio Host
New fuel economy standards are now finalized for 2027-2031 model year vehicles. The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recently announced the finalization of the new rules - saying they'll Americans more than $23 billion in fuel costs while reducing pollution. The agency says the new 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.
Here's what the finalized rule says:
- Fuel economy will increase 2% per year for model years 2027-2031 for passenger cars
- Fuel economy will increase 2% per year for model years 2029-2031 for passenger cars
NHTSA says 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.
As for as heavy-duty pickups and vans:
- Fuel efficiency will increase 10% per year for model years 2030-2032 and 8% per year for model years 2033-2035
NHTSA says this will result in a fleetwide average of approximately 35 miles per gallon by model year 2035, which it says will 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.”
NHTSA says 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 says it 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 says it worked closely with the EPA to optimize the effectiveness of its standards while minimizing compliance costs, consistent with applicable statutory factors.
The agency says 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. NHTSA says though it 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 classified as sedans, station wagons, and two-wheel drive crossovers and SUVs. Light trucks are typically categorized as 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.
To read the NHTSA press release click here.
Photo Credit: Trong Nguyen/Shutterstock.com.