Fuel economy back on US agenda
A bipartisan bill, which cleared a Senate committee Tuesday, seeks to boost average car mileage by about 10 miles per gallon from 2011 to 2020.
from the May 10, 2007 edition
Page 3 of 3
Such gains would not only cut oil imports but also the carbon-dioxide emissions that scientists consider to be a major contributor to global warming.
But improving auto mileage carries financial costs.
On average, compliance with the Senate bill might add $2,500 to $3,000 to the cost of a new light truck and perhaps half as much to a passenger car, says K. Gopal Duleep of Energy and Environmental Analysis, a consulting firm in Arlington, Va.
Some analysts put the cost even higher, but in any case these costs would be offset – partially or fully – by gas-pump savings to consumers over the life of the vehicle. At $3 per gallon, Mr. Duleep says, "there's good payback" during vehicle use that typically reaches 5,000 gallons.
New fuel-economy bill
Legislation is advancing in Congress to improve the fuel efficiency of new passenger vehicles sold in the US. A bill that cleared the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee on Tuesday – the first time in 16 years the panel has acted to revise mileage standards – would do the following:
•Set a fleetwide goal that includes both cars and light trucks.
• Raise fuel-economy standards to 35 miles per gallon by 2020. The current standard is 27.5 m.p.g. for passenger cars, 22.2 m.p.g. for light trucks.
• Raise the standard for new vehicles by 4 percent a year, after 2020.
• Exempt vehicles from the standards if the Transportation Department finds they pose economic harm or are not technologically feasible.
• Outlaw gasoline price-gouging during presidential-declared energy emergencies.
Key dates for CAFE
1975: Congress establishes corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) standards for passenger cars and light trucks. Manufacturers are mandated to produce a fleet of cars that average at least 18 miles per gallon (from roughly 13 m.p.g.) by the 1978 model year and at least 27.5 m.p.g. by the 1985 model year. Light-truck standards start at 17.2 m.p.g. for the 1979 model year, rising to 20.7 m.p.g. in the 1996 model year.
1985: US temporarily relaxes CAFE standards, eventually pushing back the 27.5 m.p.g. deadline for cars to the 1990 model year.
2003: US nudges up CAFE for light trucks, eventually reaching 22.5 m.p.g. for the 2007 model year.
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