Buy new? Pickup owners say no.

"The problem is that the longer you keep those vehicles, the worse the emission and fuel economy of the fleet become," says Bruce Belzowski at the Transportation Research Institute at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.

Still, one possibility going forward is that people who want to buy big, not-so-fuel-efficient trucks will actually be able to do so with ease. That's thanks to a loophole of sorts: Although automakers have to meet a fleet average of 30 m.p.g. for pickup trucks, this could be achieved by creating super-efficient smaller trucks – while essentially leaving bigger trucks the way they are.

For better or worse, the new wave of trucks can already be glimpsed on the road. The 2009 Chevrolet Silverado hybrid gets 25 percent better gas mileage than its predecessor – but its towing capacity is cut nearly in half and the truck "lacks giddyup," according to Engineering News-Record (ENR), a trade publication. The vehicle comes at a $6,000 premium, even after a government tax break. Those who use trucks for work "will have some serious soul-searching to do," according to an ENR review.

Yet environmentalists say the new standards will ultimately benefit blue-collar haulers. "Even at 30 percent improvement, the vast majority of changes are going to be under the hood and not visible to the average consumer," says Dan Becker, director of the Safe Climate Campaign in Washington. "My hope is that truck buyers look at this as an opportunity to get something they've never been able to get before: a more efficient truck."

Yet perhaps much of this discussion misses a larger point, some critics say. The real problem, they say, is a lack of political fortitude to standardize higher fuel costs through raising the fuel tax.

"We need certainty around gas prices," says Jeremy Anwyl, CEO of Edmunds.com, an auto information provider. "The fact is that the payback period for [fuel-efficient trucks] gets reasonable at $5 a gallon, but at $2 a gallon, you could be looking at a 10-year payback."

Given such estimates, there's already skepticism about the new fuel-economy standards holding up. Washington may ultimately extend the 2016 deadline, some say.

"Stay tuned," writes David Cole, chairman for the Center for Automotive Research in Ann Arbor, Mich., in an e-mail. "I do believe we will see an entire new business with the updating of older trucks per the Cuba model. [But] I'm not convinced the standards will be implemented as written if fuel prices are relatively low."

The outcome will primarily ride on decisions made in the next few years by Americans who haul stuff – guys like Gill Sheats. The odometer on the Atlanta electrician's well-worn 1973 Chevy has already turned over twice.

"I can keep this thing running forever," he says. "Motor goes out, I drop another one in."

Previous

1 | 2