What are Fuel Economy Standards?
The Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards are rules designed to reduce energy consumption by increasing the fuel economy of cars and light trucks.
In 2012, federal officials announced new standards to rapidly improve fuel economy from model years 2017 to 2025. The new standards are expected to nearly double today’s average fuel economy to approximately 40 miles per gallon.
Fuel Economy Standards provide a number of consumer benefits:
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Saving consumers money. Vehicles meeting the 2025 standards will save owners an average of $3,200 per car and $4,800 per truck. The average new vehicle buyer will start saving in the very first month of ownership as fuel savings outweigh the cost of fuel saving technology spread out over the loan. Consumers in the used market (70% of vehicle sales) save the most from improved fuel economy at a lower price as fuel economy remains steady while the vehicle depreciates.
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- Americans support strong standards. Fuel economy is the number one attribute that vehicle owners would like to see improved in their next vehicle. And 73% of Americans support the government setting and enforcing strong fuel economy standards.
- Strong standards are practical, achievable, and protect consumer choice. Fuel economy standards are flexible and scale with the size of vehicles as consumer preferences change–larger vehicles have easier targets. According to the EPA’s latest data, pickup trucks and SUVs have seen the fastest improvements to vehicle efficiency in recent years. Safety, fuel economy, performance and reliability have all been improving, and strong fuel economy standards build on that progress.
Huge progress has been made on the efficiency of the passenger vehicle fleet, and greater improvement is on the horizon thanks to strong fuel economy targets and new developments in technology. Automakers are already beating current standards and have lots of flexibility to meet future targets.
Make Your Voice Heard – Speak Out For Strong Fuel Economy Standards
Automakers and big oil companies are actively working to undermine fuel economy standards that would save consumers thousands of dollars in fuel costs. We need your help to protect these standards. Click the button below to tell your representatives to support strong fuel economy standards.
