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cafe standards


What is CAFE?

It was big news when the Obama Administration updated CAFE requirements in May to a new and higher national MPG standard of 42 mpg for cars (26 mpg for light trucks) by 2016. The higher standards will start increasing with 2011 model year vehicles. But what is CAFE? And how do these new numbers – before the raise, cars needed to average 27.5 mpg and trucks 24 mpg – change what will be available in dealerships in the coming decade? Let's start with the official government wording. The National Highway Traffic Safety ... Read more →

Heard about China's new 42 mpg standards? Get educated first Sebastian Blanco

Which is better? A national fleet fuel economy standard (think CAFE) of 42.2 mpg or 35.5. mpg? The former, right? Well, 42.2 is exactly what China has put in place and, from that one number, they ...

New CAFE regulations could cut oil imports by 1.4 million barrels per day Xavier Navarro

This is no brainer: the new CAFE standards can save the U.S. a lot of oil. How much? That's a more difficult question to answer. Suistanable Business took the calculator out and came up with an ...

Chrysler says alliance with Fiat will allow it to meet future CAFE requirements Jeremy Korzeniewski

Joining the chorus of supporters applauding the Obama Administration's new CAFE standards is bankrupt automaker Chrysler. After 'thanking the administration for their leadership' and for creating ...

Obama: CAFE increase is "an historic agreement to help American break its addiction to oil" Sebastian Blanco

Aside from the Daimler-Tesla announcement earlier today, the big green car news for May 19 is the increase in CAFE standards that President Obama made just a short while ago, joined by Governors ...

Group sues Obama administration over weak MPG standards 7 months ago on Autoblog Green

When the next step in the road to 35 mpg by 2020 CAFE standards was announced recently, those in the know made clear that the Obama administration upcoming goal of 27.3 mpg by 2011 would not be hard for automakers to meet. In fact, the 2007 average was already 31.3, so the 2011 goal would not ...

Huge fine for Mercedes-Benz for poor fuel efficiency 10 months ago on Autoblog Green

Every year, automakers that fail to meet the federally-mandated CAFE fuel efficiency standards receive fines in proportion to their gas-guzzling crimes. Last year, DaimlerChrysler set a record with a fine of $30,357,635.50, and that figure is proving tough to beat. Still, Mercedes-Benz, which made ...

Surprise! Bush administration passes on setting CAFE standards 10 months ago on Autoblog Green

With a brief, three-sentence statement, the Bush Administration has done what we've been expecting for quite some time: pawn off future CAFE decisions to the next administration. So, Obama and his future team will now be in charge of deciding exactly how to proceed with tough new regulations that ...

Ex-Tesla VP Siry calls for either taxing up gas prices or dropping CAFE 10 months ago on Autoblog Green

Darryl Siry has never been shy about expressing his opinions. Since departing from his post as chief talking head and salesman at Tesla Motors, Siry has been freed up to share his thoughts even more vociferously and with greater frequency on his personal blog and his latest post is sure to anger ...

2008: The most fuel efficient year yet 1 year ago on Autoblog Green

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the fleet of cars sold in the U.S. through the first half of the year averaged 26.8 mpg. That's a new record, and it is being pushed by the rapid move from larger cars, trucks and SUVs into smaller, more fuel efficient vehicles. For ...

Toyota tops '07 CAFE numbers, will increase Prius capacity 1 year ago on Autoblog Green

Click above for more high-res shots of the 2007 Toyota Prius Touring The numbers for last year's combined fleet fuel efficiency for all automakers in the United States has been tallied. The winner? Um, Lotus. But, they don't really count. Too small. For manufacturers that actually offer a full line ...

GM tells NHTSA not to include plug-ins in setting CAFE standards 1 year ago on Autoblog Green

When the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration published an initial draft of the new fuel economy rules this spring, they gave automakers and other interested parties until July 1 to comment before finalizing the rules. That comment period is now over and GM and others have responded. ...

More automakers make their true feelings known about CAFE 1 year ago on Autoblog Green

Though BMW was the first automaker to contact the Bush Administration with concerns about the latest CAFE rules, it didn't take long for more to speak up. As represented by the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, the Detroit 3, Toyota, Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz and others have banded together to ...

Meeting new CAFE regs will cost Detroit double what it costs the Japanese 1 year ago on Autoblog Green

The average cost for Detroit's Big Three automakers to meet the proposed fuel efficiency targets of 31.6 miles per gallon by 2015 has been pegged at $30.6 billion. In contrast, the average cost for the Japanese automakers sits at less than half that amount at "only" $14.85 billion. These numbers ...

Oh no!, Bob's not going to like this! NHTSA to propose 36mpg by 2015! 1 year ago on Autoblog Green

Bob Lutz's worst nightmare appears to be on the horizon. Transportation Secretary Mary Peters is expected to unveil proposed regulations for fuel economy today that go beyond what Congress mandated in last December's Energy Bill. NHTSA appears set to require cars to achieve a fleet average of ...

Slow sales and new fuel economy regs kill Nissan Titan 1 year ago on Autoblog Green

When Nissan introduced the Titan pickup truck earlier this decade, they became the first Japanese Automaker to directly challenge the U.S. manufacturers in the full-size truck segment. Unfortunately for Nissan, the gamble didn't pay off, but the company knows when to stop throwing good money after ...

Alliance to Save Energy calls on increasing CAFE standards and offers tips to save energy 2 years ago on Autoblog Green

Yes, oil prices are near $90 a barrel, and price increases at the pump will come very soon. This is why the Alliance to Save Energy is calling the Congress to raise immediately Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards. "Congress must adopt and send to the president the CAFE increases in the ...

CATO Institute writers suggest (no surprise) ditching CAFE standards 2 years ago on Autoblog Green

While the idea of eliminating CAFE standards may strike you as unusual, the idea that Libertarians are against regulation really shouldn't. This is what Libertarians are know for, no? So, let's just keep that in mind as we check out a new column published today by Jerry Taylor and Peter Van Doren ...

New study says higher CAFE will mean big help for the Big Three 2 years ago on Autoblog Green

The question of how higher fuel standards will affect domestic auto companies is being debated by governors and many others. While the govs see proposed increases in fuel mileage as kicking Detroit while it's down, a report by the University of Michigan's Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI) ...

There's someone against the stricter CAFE standards 2 years ago on Autoblog Green

According to Sterling Burnett, a member of the National Center for Policy Analysis (NCPA), the new CAFE standards should not be approved because "they will reduce consumer choices and put drivers at greater risk for injury or death in the event of an accident". Mr. Burnett affirms that the new CAFE ...

Four simple tips for automakers to improve efficiency right now, not 2020 2 years ago on Autoblog Green

Popular Mechanics has published four simple tips automakers could apply now to improve car mileage. After contentious debate on Capitol Hill and lobbying from the industry, new Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards will jump to 35 mpg for all cars and SUVs by 2020, up from the current ...

Collected videos about this week's Senate CAFE debate 2 years ago on Autoblog Green

The U.S. Senate is debating the CAFE rules this week, and videos related to the discussion are turning up online - some due to Hugg-meister Linton, who has been uploading clips from C-SPAN and PBS. Here's a little of what was said and heard this week in and around Washington, D.C. In the video ...

Increased CAFE standards law's passage "too close to call" 2 years ago on Autoblog Green

This is the week the U.S. Senate starts full debate on a bill that would force higher corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) ratings on automakers. Automotive News' Harry Stoffer has a good run-down (subs req'd) on where things stand with the bill, as does USA Today, but it's a few days old now. ...

As gas prices shoot up (again), the U.S. House votes against price gouging 2 years ago on Autoblog Green

It's astounding how every day now seems to bring another report of gas prices on the rise. Today, the national average for regular fuel is $3.227, according to AAA. We can all predict this isn't the top of the charts for gas prices this year, so let's just file this under T for temporary. Also, if ...

Beefed up CAFE standards - 35 mpg by 2020 - approved by Senate panel 2 years ago on Autoblog Green

I guess Senator Levin didn't get what he wanted. Today, a U.S. Senate panel voted to increase fuel efficiency standards to an average of 35 mpg by 2020, and then keep increasing it by four percent a year until 2030. The bill's final numbers are far from certain, though, and the bill won't make it ...

Sen. Levin: increase in CAFE standard would kill Chrysler 2 years ago on Autoblog Green

How did Carl Levin, a Democratic Senator from Michigan, help get the compromise on the upcoming CAFE bill we mentioned this morning? He said yesterday that he would filibuster fuel economy legislation because he says it discriminates against the Big Three domestic automakers. He also said that a ...

Pernick: Democrats should grab hold of the green energy mandate 2 years ago on Autoblog Green

Everyone interested in American politics is reading tea leaves these days trying to figure out what changes the Democrats will bring to Washington in January. In the green car legislation part of the spectrum, we've noted that incoming House leader Nancy Pelosi may fight against tax breaks for Big ...

Are U.S. automakers stalled on fuel efficiency? 3 years ago on Autoblog Green

Writing in the Washington Times, William O'Keefe says U.S. automakers are using their "green" E85 campaigns to divert attention from a generous federal tax loophole that is creating an artificial market for ethanol. He notes that there are estimates that E85 production can rise to 18 billion gallons ...

Let's Get Real (mileage estimates, that is) 3 years ago on Autoblog Green

Real MPG has a simple request: that the U.S. government use actual, real, tangible, factual (OK, OK, I'll put the thesaurus away now) mileage ratings for vehicles when it enforces the CAFE standards. While auto manufacturers need to build cars with mpg ratings that conform to the standards, the mpg ...

Chevy Suburban with 28 mpg? Not so fast, says Terrablog (UPDATE) 3 years ago on Autoblog Green

Voluntary carbon offset programs are a popular idea. Instead of making the more serious commitment to change vehicles – downshifting from a SUV to a compact, a compact to a hybrid or a hybrid to public transportation or bicycle (where reasonable) – someone can just pay money and let ...

Political battles over passenger CAFE standards heating up 3 years ago on Autoblog Green

Two weeks ago, President Bush and Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta asked Congress to give the President and the Department of Transportation more legal authority to raise the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) mileage standards on passenger vehicles. One the one hand, this seems like a ...

Commentary from California on solving the "costly gas-price puzzle" 3 years ago on Autoblog Green

I’m not sure that the facts in this commentary from California’s Whittier Daily News are completely accurate (the author says that demand for hybrid cars is low and that people don’t really care what their cars run on, as long as it’s dependable, and we have heard the ...

Push for new fuel economy standards on fast track 3 years ago on Autoblog Green

The Detroit News reports the House Energy and Commerce Committee is looking in to new federal fuel economy standards this week for passenger cars. The bill would use the same language as the light truck regulations, allowing for annual fuel economy increases. The current Corporate Average Fuel ...


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