Legislation and Policy

It's amazing what a little regulation can do for an industry. In the past four years, the fuel economy of new vehicles has improved by an average of 14 percent, according to a new study by the University of Michigan. This increase comes on the heels of big hikes in the Corporate Average Fuel ...

The Science Committee in the House of Representatives has a approved a bill that would prevent the Environmental Protection Agency from allowing the use of gasoline with a higher ethanol content without additional study. According to The Detroit News, the bill was sponsored by Rep. James ...

Because nothing says environmental sustainability like a per-mile tax on electric vehicles. That's what some Arizona legislators are proposing as a way to raise funds on the backs of those not paying taxes usually associated with fuel purchases. Arizona Representative Steve Farley is proposing ...

Pennsylvania, one of the last states holding out against legalizing neighborhood-electric vehicles (NEVs) – such as those from Global Electric Motorcars (GEM), pictured – for street use, may change its laws to allow NEVs on some streets with speed limits as high as 35 miles per hour, ...

Are you a U.S. automaker? Do you want a billion dollars? Have we got a deal for you! Just build 60,000 cars that get 100 miles per gallon and the government will send a truckload of cash to your office doors (or, perhaps, mail a check). H.R. 3872 – the Excellence in Energy Efficiency Act ...

What impact will the "over-compliance" rule – some would say loophole – in the California Air Resources Board's recent changes to the Zero-Emission Vehicle (ZEV) Mandate have? The short and obvious answer is that only time will tell, but one can make the case both that it's a good ...

One of the differences between the Washington Auto Show and car shows in other cities is the almost overwhelming appearance of politicians and government officials. Whether they come to learn or to lecture (or both), these folks create a well-worn trail from the Hill to the Walter E. Washington ...

Owning an electric car with a reasonable range could be a very practical solution for many drivers. After all, pulling into the garage at the end of the day and plugging in your car can be a huge time saver if it means you can forgo the gas pump, not to mention the potential environmental ...

Less than a year after everyone with any sort of say in the matter seemed to agree that 54.5 miles per gallon by the year 2025 was a properly attainable goal, the California Air Resources Board has decided to change things up a bit. In addition to CAFE requirements of a 54.5-mpg fleet average ...

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) was sued by an auto-safety firm over the federal regulator's probe into the possible case of unintended acceleration in a 2003 Toyota Prius, the New York Times said, citing legal documents filed by the firm. Massachusetts-based Safety ...