DOT Requires Incremental Increase in Light Truck Gas Mileage
Thursday March 30, 2006
The Department of Transportation has finalized a rule imposing slightly increased fuel economy standards for SUVs, minivans and pickup trucks for 2008-2011. It does not affect heavy trucks, such as the Ford F-250, or passenger cars.
Unlike the draft rule, the final rule includes the largest SUVs such as the Hummer H2, but not until 2011. Little else is changed from August's draft. The corporate average fuel efficiency (CAFE) standard for this category will reach 23.5 mpg for model year 2010 (p 47), compared to an existing standard of 22.2 mpg for model year 2007, 21.6 mpg by 2006 and 21.0 mpg by 2005.
Translated: a 1.2 mpg increase from 2005 to 2007 compared to a 1.3 mpg increase from 2007 to 2010. It is technically true that this is an increase in fuel efficiency when compared to today's vehicles, but it is only a modest and incremental increase.
I'm not sure how this increase can be categorized as "the most ambitious fuel economy goals for light trucks ever developed in the program's 27-year history," but that quote comes from the DOT press release.
Headlines like Gas guzzlers are forced to go on a diet clearly overstate the rigor of the rule, although they do reflect the pinch that awaits manufacturers of mega-vehicles like the H2.
The primary change is in how the standards will be determined and that larger, heavier vehicles will have to meet the goal. The rule establishes a forumula per "class" based on the vehicle footprint -- or wheelbase. However, based on data from the draft proposal, almost half the fleet (47 percent) will escape the 2011 standard by this measurement.
Background
In the wake of the 1973-74 Arab oil embargo, Congress passed the Energy Policy Conservation Act (EPCA). At that time, cars and light trucks were energy inefficient: cars averaged 13.5 mpg and trucks averaged 11.6 mpg.
Light trucks accounted for only one-in-10 vehicles sold in 1979 (9.8% share of total fleet). Today, "light trucks" account for half of all vehicles sold in the United States (50.1 percent of total fleet in 2003) and are primarily "passenger cars" rather than commercial work vehicles.
In 1999, Congress prohibited the DOT from raising SUV fuel standards. The Energy Department estimates that gasoline consumption accounts for almost half of the US demand for oil.
Reactions
Environmentalists and conservationists were disappointed in the new rule. Proponents point to the largest vehicles being included in the rule; however, this category accounts for only 2.8 percent of the 8.5 million light truck annual sales.
Join the Forum Discussion
See: Fuel Economy Standards for Passenger Cars and Light Trucks (1978 - 2007). Final Rule (pdf).
Unlike the draft rule, the final rule includes the largest SUVs such as the Hummer H2, but not until 2011. Little else is changed from August's draft. The corporate average fuel efficiency (CAFE) standard for this category will reach 23.5 mpg for model year 2010 (p 47), compared to an existing standard of 22.2 mpg for model year 2007, 21.6 mpg by 2006 and 21.0 mpg by 2005.
Translated: a 1.2 mpg increase from 2005 to 2007 compared to a 1.3 mpg increase from 2007 to 2010. It is technically true that this is an increase in fuel efficiency when compared to today's vehicles, but it is only a modest and incremental increase.
I'm not sure how this increase can be categorized as "the most ambitious fuel economy goals for light trucks ever developed in the program's 27-year history," but that quote comes from the DOT press release.
Headlines like Gas guzzlers are forced to go on a diet clearly overstate the rigor of the rule, although they do reflect the pinch that awaits manufacturers of mega-vehicles like the H2.
The primary change is in how the standards will be determined and that larger, heavier vehicles will have to meet the goal. The rule establishes a forumula per "class" based on the vehicle footprint -- or wheelbase. However, based on data from the draft proposal, almost half the fleet (47 percent) will escape the 2011 standard by this measurement.
Background
In the wake of the 1973-74 Arab oil embargo, Congress passed the Energy Policy Conservation Act (EPCA). At that time, cars and light trucks were energy inefficient: cars averaged 13.5 mpg and trucks averaged 11.6 mpg.
Light trucks accounted for only one-in-10 vehicles sold in 1979 (9.8% share of total fleet). Today, "light trucks" account for half of all vehicles sold in the United States (50.1 percent of total fleet in 2003) and are primarily "passenger cars" rather than commercial work vehicles.
In 1999, Congress prohibited the DOT from raising SUV fuel standards. The Energy Department estimates that gasoline consumption accounts for almost half of the US demand for oil.
Reactions
Environmentalists and conservationists were disappointed in the new rule. Proponents point to the largest vehicles being included in the rule; however, this category accounts for only 2.8 percent of the 8.5 million light truck annual sales.
Join the Forum Discussion
See: Fuel Economy Standards for Passenger Cars and Light Trucks (1978 - 2007). Final Rule (pdf).
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