EPA, DOT Announce Proposed New Fuel Standards |
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Topics: U.S. Department of Transportation
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VOA Breaking News
October 1, 2010 at 7:35 pm
The Obama administration is considering new U.S. emissions and fuel economy standards that could call for passenger automobiles and trucks to drastically improve their fuel efficiency by model year 2025.
In a joint statement issued Friday, the Environmental Protection Agency and the National Traffic Safety Administration say its possible for vehicles introduced between 2017 and 2025 will be required to achieve gas mileage ranging from 20 kilometers per liter (to 26 kilometers per liter by 2025.
The agencies say the increased fuel mileage would represent a three to six percent reduction in emissions over the same period.
The agencies say the additional costs for such vehicles could be from $800 to $3,500 per model, but could save consumers from $5,000 to $7,000 in fuel costs over the life of the car.
The agencies will release an updated analysis of the proposed standards November 30.
In May, U.S. President Barack Obama issued a memorandum calling for the development of higher standards for cars and light trucks starting in 2017. That memorandum also included support for developing electric-powered cars.
The government had already established rules in April which called for new vehicles to increase fuel efficiency to an average of 6.6 liters per 100 kilometers (34.1 miles per gallon) by 2016. The new rules will take effect in 2012.
The administration says the plans will bring down the cost of transporting goods, reduce pollution and spur growth in the clean energy sector.
President Obama said he believes it is possible in the next 20 years for vehicles to use half the fuel they use today and produce half the pollution.
Some auto industry analysts criticized the higher standards because they were not accompanied by programs to encourage consumers to buy more fuel- efficient vehicles.
Since then, Mr. Obama has introduced several billion-dollar initiatives, in the forms of grants and loans, to spur production of fuel-saving technologies.
Car companies, including Toyota, Honda, General Motors and Ford, already sell so-called hybrid vehicles. These cars combine gasoline engines, powerful batteries and electric motors to achieve high fuel efficiency. Several of the companies are now racing to produce all-electric vehicles.
U.S. auto giant General Motors, Japanese automaker Nissan and Germany’s Daimler also hope to start selling all-electric cars later this year. Some information in this story was provided by AP.