The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), a part of the US Department of Transportation, has released its vehicle fuel economy standards, which it said will help American drivers save over $23 billion in fuel costs while also reducing carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions.
With these rules, fuel economy will increase by two percent per year for the model years 2027–2031 for passenger cars.
Light trucks (vehicles with a gross vehicle weight of up to 8,500 lbs, or 3,860 kg, and a payload capacity of up to 4,000 lbs, or 1,814 kg) will also increase by two percent, but for the model years of 2029–2031.
The NHTSA—whose mission is to save lives, prevent injuries, and reduce economic costs due to road traffic crashes through education, research, safety standards, and enforcement—said that these increases will bring the average light-duty vehicle fuel economy up to approximately 50.4 miles per gallon by model year 2031, saving passenger car and light-truck owners over $600 in fuel over the lifetime of their vehicles.
Although $600 may not seem like a tremendous amount of money saved, it’s better than the alternative where it costs $600. Glass half full, people.
For the heavy-duty pickup truck and van, the fuel efficiency will increase 10 percent per year for the model years 2030–2032 and eight percent per year for the model years 2033–2035. This will result in a fleetwide average of about 35 miles per gallon by model year 2035, saving heavy-duty pickup and van owners more than $700 in fuel over the lifetime of their vehicles.
“Not only will these new standards save Americans money at the pump every time they fill up, [but] they will also decrease harmful pollution and make America less reliant on foreign oil,” stated Pete Buttigieg, the US Transportation Secretary. “These standards will save car owners more than $600 in gasoline costs over the lifetime of their vehicle.”
The improved standards will save nearly 70 billion gallons of gasoline through 2050. This will, in turn, prevent over 710 million metric tons of carbon dioxide exhaust emissions from being released.
“When Congress established the Corporate Average Fuel Economy program in the 1970s, the average vehicle got about 13 miles to the gallon,” noted Sophie Shulman, the NHTSA Deputy Administrator. “Under these new standards, the average light-duty vehicle will achieve nearly four times that at 50 miles per gallon. These new fuel economy standards will save our nation billions of dollars, help reduce our dependence on fossil fuels, and make our air cleaner for everyone. Americans will enjoy the benefits of this rule for decades to come.”
The agency engaged with a broad set of stakeholders while crafting the final rule, including consumers, unions, automakers, states, and environmental advocates.
NHTSA’s new fuel economy standards complement the US Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) emissions standards for similar vehicle fleets. The NHTSA worked closely with the EPA to optimize the effectiveness of its standards while minimizing compliance costs, consistent with applicable statutory factors.
For more information, visit the NHTSA’s Corporate Average Fuel Economy page: HERE.