Fuel Rules: Team Obama Details New Mileage Standards

Source: WSJ

The Obama administration has unveiled the 684-page rule for new, tougher fuel economy standards for U.S. vehicles, something President Obama promised back in May.

The new double-barreled standard—one from the Environmental Protection Agency, and one from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration—make official the administration’s goal of accelerating the improvement of the fuel economy of U.S. cars and trucks.

Now, the new rules aren’t quite what’s being trumpeted in headlines and celebrated by environmental groups—corporate average fuel economy of 35.5 miles per gallon by 2016.

The EPA set out to regulate greenhouse-gas emissions from vehicles; their new rule equates to 35.5 mpg. But the actual fuel-economy standards are set by the Transportation Department. And since carmakers can actually decrease the emissions of their vehicles by tweaking the air conditioners—rather than improving the engines—the government’s new fuel-economy rule is a hair less ambitious.

That is, the NHTSA says the new fuel-economy rules will be 34.1 miles per gallon in 2016; that breaks down to 38 mpg for passenger cars and 23.8 mpg for light trucks. Of course, not all carmakers fully comply. That means that the real-life fuel economy of new cars and trucks in the U.S. fleet in 2016 will be about 32.7 miles per gallon, the NHTSA says


Read more: http://blogs.wsj.com/environmentalcapital/2009/09/15/fuel-rules-team-obama-details-new-mileage-standards/

sounds like a law that won't amount to crap. 32 mpg sounds more like 1985 to me.

But the RW will still bust a vein crowing about how this will cripple the economy, I'm sure.

32MPG is low here in europe.
it's so sad how far backwards the US is in terms of mileage.
the rest of the world has cars with as high for 'clunkers', and much higher for economic cars.
ford makes a great small car that gets great mileage!!!
oh well, "a unique american way"...fuck that I want a plan that works!

Part of the problem with small cars in the US is that you risk getting crushed by some giant SUV. Many people here drive cars that would be considered trucks in Europe

there are large SUVs here, don't buy that "you'll get crushed" bullshit.
small cars now a days are miles safer than before.
Add to that the better handling.
Also SUVs tend to be made with paper mache. All flash, no bang.

to be in the lane next to one of those things if both you and the semi are trying to merge into the same lane at a freeway entrance from which you can't see the semi until it is too late. That's the case on at least one entrance on the 5 freeway here in L.A. I've been in that position. We need trains for a lot of the freight. We should limit the size of the semis carrying freight. They would be a hazard on the highways to tiny little cars.

and it's no safer in a tin-foil-covered SUV
Hell theres more plastic on a SUV (percentage) than on a ford Kia!

your argument against small cars falls flat, AGAIN!

Semis of moderate size or OK, but some of them are just too long. They are unsafe even though the drivers are well trained. Some of the buses now are too long also. Safety has to be the first consideration.

Are you prepared to pay more for almost every item you purchase? If you limit the size of the trucks that deliver the goods, the costs of all goods that aren't extremely heavy will go up (extremely heavy products use up the gross weight and not the volume of a truck).

And how do you propose to get the freight from the railhead to the location that needs it? Still must have trucks. Trains eliminate much of the over-the-road trips for trucks, but not the local delivery which I would contend is the heart of the problem you address. Also there will be a need for much more warehouse space as many companies operate on a JIT, just in time, basis. Train freight is quite a bit more cost efficient, but at the expense of timeliness.

EPA rules pretty much decimated the diesel engine in the US due to particulate emmissions. Now, even though that problem has been mostly solved, the US has a long way to catch up.

the Versa gets 37 from the factory with a little tweak it gets 39, its faster than the pickup, has more interior room, rides better.
Granted it cannot haul a ton, but how often do you need to haul?
The Dakota got 15 in town and 19 on the highway when we got it I put low resistance Michelin tires on it a tonneau cover and a K&N air filter and took off the intake funnel and put a larger piece of pipe on it it gets 20 now and 24 on the road with the tonneau cover..unfortunately the tonneau only lasted 10 years..the truck is 12 and I cannot afford 2 car payments.

Its not the small cars that are the hazard its the bad drivers both in the suvs and in small cars if you are careful driver you won't get into accidents. I have avoided many bad drivers.

I was an outside sales man for several years 33,000 per year the only accidents I got into were the idiots not paying attention do what they hell they were doing..yammering on the phone, balancing a checkbook, fiddlin with the radio, putting on make up, masturbating(yea i said that I saw it!), reading, yelling at the kids, tho its not as bad now that kids have carseats.
I really love the a-----s that almost have to see you coming at 60 and pull out anyway,they wait till you are only 100 feet from them before they pull out, or the ones that stop with no signal or brake lights.

Do the maintenance folks. When I learned to drive I was taught like a pilot turn on the lights once a week or so and walk around to see that they all work, turn on the park, blinker, flasher, headlights, etc, get someone to check that your blinkers and brake lights work while you do the pedals. It will also save you the cost of a ticket if a cop notes it.

There is no such thing as an accident only foolhardy drivers.
I have been driving for 35 years and never had an accident that was my fault it was always someone who hit me or ran me off the road when on my hog.
I have been rear ended 6 times always while stopped at a red light.
Once was a woman doing her makeup pushing my Nissan pickup into the middle of a normally busy 4 lane intersection,a taxi driver counting $, once was a guy who was looking at a news paper, duh.
I was hit about 4 months ago by a woman going at least 50 in a 40 using the phone, there was an accident in the right hand lane and I slowed, not rapidly, then the light changed and I almost coasted to a stop I know my brake light on the roof showed(that check before I left the house.
Totaled her car, nearly totaled 2008 Dodge Charger which hit me(she was on the brake) I could see the reflection of her brake light on the side of the car beside her, the car that hit her had pushed her into my truck. I was looking in my rear views, the Charger was hit so hard the rear of it was in the air.


The Nissan Versa has the new CVT transmission, it has plenty of go, enough to get tickets! I think if Detroit worked with the transmissions it could go way better than 35 mpg.
I had a Porsche 914 that would get 40mpg going 90 mph(would go 145 mph anyway as I had tried it) I also had a VW 412 coupe that got 34 and with 5 people and lugage in it , both cars were 74 model year and had the same engine the 914 had 5 spd and the VW a 4 spd trans.
What kind of mileage do Mercedes sedans get?