REPORT: Obama to announce new CAFE standards tomorrow, require 34 mpg standard
by Damon Lavrinc on May 18th 2009 at 2:55PM 
According to reports from both the New York Times and Politico, the Obama Administration plans to announce new CAFE regulations tomorrow that will finally reconcile both federal and state standards. The plan is expected to combine California's strict emission rules with the federal rule, raising the national fleet mileage to around 42 mpg for cars and approximately 26 mpg for light trucks by 2016 – an increase over the current standards of 27.5 mpg for cars and 24 mpg for trucks.
The administration set a self-imposed deadline of June 30 to grant California's request to impose the state's standard to the federal CAFE regulations, and according to the NYT, the auto industry isn't expected to challenge the new rules as they finally set both a definitive time table and a national standard. Politico is reporting that the Obama Administration sat down with several states and a number of domestic and foreign automakers to discuss the standard, including Chrysler, Ford, General Motors, BMW and others. California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is expected to attend the announcement on Tuesday, at which point all the hard details will be released. Thanks to win39 for the tip!
[Sources: NYT, Politico | Image Source: Alex Wong/Getty]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
matt 3:13PM (5/18/2009)
I'm glad to see an ambitious car target CAFE. Unfortunately, the ridiculously low light truck target will just cause manufacturers to make all their family-sized cars into crossovers that can be classified as light trucks (thereby ultimately DECREASING overall fuel economy). What are they thinking?
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Matt 3:26PM (5/18/2009)
You're probably right, but what else can they do? I think they should redefine the categories to make your scenario less likely. If they limited "light trucks" to vehicles with the traditional truck (cab/bed) design and made it so crossovers and SUV's had a separate category, they could potentially eliminate what you're talking about.
GoodCheer 3:40PM (5/18/2009)
Another approach to inhibit the use of trucks would be to charge very steep truck registration fees that could be a deduction on business tax filings (but not on individual filings).
Of course all our invention is for naught, since no government would pass anything so sensible (they like their Escalades too).
paulwesterberg 4:03PM (5/18/2009)
They should just increase the gas tax by 25 cents and make it so it would increase by 25 cents every year. This isn't a huge increase, but it would make people stop and realize that gas is going to be more expensive in the future rather than relying on what the current price of gas is an assuming it will stay the same for the next ten years.
As if people in India and China are going to start driving less.
The federal gas was last increased in 1993 and hasn't been increased to keep up with inflation which is why road building funds have started to fall short.
Scorch 3:35PM (5/18/2009)
This is depressing. Any car that is even remotely fun to drive is going to cost a fortune. Get ready for a raft of underpowered cars and dreary hybrids.
And another thing, I love how state that can't even govern itself sees fit to set arbitrarily high fuel economy standards that half the country wants to adopt.
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polo 5:12PM (5/18/2009)
Shut up.
augustus 4:53PM (5/18/2009)
Dodge, Jeep, will be gone. Good thing we rescued them with taxpayer money so that we could kill them off with our industrial policy. GM hasn't made a car that can compete in the marketplace for a decade, so I guess they too will die off. One wonders what BMW, Mercedes, Lexus and Infinity will do apart from go bankrupt as their cars are nowhere near 42 MPG. I'd like to see a 42 MPG minivan.
Bill 10:07PM (5/18/2009)
Shoot, I'd like to see a 27 mpg minivan.
All full-sized minivans currently get around 17 mpg city.
Without diesel engines, I don't see how you get much more than that in a 7 passenger minivan.
mdmadph 11:14AM (5/19/2009)
That's funny, my Ford Fusion S gets 34mpg and is a blast to drive.
Throwback 3:43PM (5/18/2009)
Considering we (tax payers) effectively own Chrysler and GM, making the truck standard somewhat reasonable makes sense. I would like to get paid back eventually. No sense killing their largest profit margin vehicles.
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polo 5:20PM (5/18/2009)
Sorry throwback, you don't get to pick and choose where you tax money goes.
You get to pick and choose who decides where you tax money goes.
As the saying goes "elections have consequences" and America has collectively decided this is the path we are going to follow.
If you don't like that there's always Mexico, which I'm sure won't care how much gas your carbon pooter chugs.
augustus 3:58PM (5/18/2009)
This is madness. Current model Honda civics cannot be sold as they fall short of the car MPG standard by 6 MPG. What magical technology will auto manufacturers use to hit these targets across their entire fleets by 2016? How will this not bankrupt GM? How will Chrysler sell anything other than Fiats (if that)? What technology will be present in 2016 that will enable an entire auto fleet to meet these requirements (i'm not talking about having a hybrid, but about making cars, trucks, vans, SUVs, crossovers, and evil sports cars that get this mileage)?
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Unni 4:17PM (5/18/2009)
Yes, its tough. but i think they can address by innovative ways of thinking.
Examples :
1) EVs and range extenders
2) New engines using the waste heat also ( a sample idea :http://yankandpaste.blogspot.com/2009/05/np-stroke-engine-and-active-stoke-cycle.html )
3) New battery technologies ( example today i was reading on the Lithium sulphate technology which can increase range 500% - so example if they apply this technology on volt, the range is going to be : around 200 miles ) and no emissions\
This should be the purpose of DOE funding for advanced technologies. They should give money and time for new technologies and eliminate old technologies from road.
Chris M 4:25PM (5/18/2009)
The Honda Civic Hybrid can meet that standard right now, as can several other hybrids. Also, please note that this is a "Corporate Fleet" average, so sales of high mileage hybrids, PHEVs, and EVs could help compensate for a few gas guzzlers left.
floorman56 6:57PM (5/18/2009)
They say you cant legislate morality But what makes them think they can legislate technological advance?
ale 8:40AM (5/19/2009)
The Honda Civic used to get that kind of mileage, so did the Toyota Corolla... Jetta TDI can get that mileage, EPA just doesnt rate it at that
GoodCheer 9:38AM (5/19/2009)
Don't forget people, there are two mileage rating systmes.
1) The one the EPA uses is the one you can find on fueleconomy.gov, on window stickers, on car ads etc. 2) The one NHTSA uses to calculate CAFE is a different test with different (much higher) numbers.
The difference between the EPA mileage and the CAFE mileage of gas cars is about a factor of 1.3 (or 0.77, depending on which way you're going). So to get 42mpg on the CAFE tests, cars will have to rate about 32 on the EPA test.
GoodCheer 10:12AM (5/19/2009)
... In fact, imported Hondas and Toyotas (as opposed to those built here... others probably know better than I which models are built where) have CAFE averages of 39.9mpg and 38.5mpg already, so have very little improvement to make to meet this standard.
http://www.cars.com/go/advice/Story.jsp?section=fuel&story=cafe&subject=fuelList
Tohe 4:03PM (5/18/2009)
This needed to be done long long time ago.
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required 5:07PM (5/18/2009)
Yep, forever ago.