DOT Releases New Fuel Efficiency Standard for Automakers

As expected, the Department of Transportation announced today that they are raising the combined fuel efficiency standard for 2011 cars and trucks to 27.3 mpg, 2 miles per gallon above the 2010 average. This move is significant because it's the first increase in passenger car standards in over two decades.

The new standard will require 2011 passenger cars to meet 30.2 mpg and trucks, SUVs and minivans to meet 24.1 mpg. It's definitely a smaller increase than environmentalists were hoping for, but the administration is claiming it's just the first in a series of more aggressive increases that will lead to meeting the 35 mpg standard by 2020 set by a 2007 energy law. Obama has promised that he will get the standard to 40 mpg by 2022.

The DOT says the increase will save 887 million gallons of fuel and reduce CO2 emissions by 8.3 million metric tons.

The DOT is already working with the EPA to set future fuel efficiency rules combined with emission regulations through 2015, which will be released later this year.

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written by Max, March 28, 2009

Let's hope we're not still reliant on foreign oil, or any fossil fuels for that matter, by 2022. Seems a little ridiculous that it will take us 13 years just to establish a 40 mpg average for our passenger cars...

waste
written by KanadianKain, March 28, 2009

seriously? why not make it 40mpg by 2014 or something a little more usefull. im sorry, but 13 years is tooo little too late
We should have all electric vehicles by then.

o, right Obama and his big boss's want us to stick with oil :S

ps... the automakers need more pressure put on them. AND, it not like the world will stop spinning if we couldnt get new cars for a year or two until they smarten up

That's it?
written by rojelio, March 30, 2009

27 mpg by 2011? That's really the best we can do? How lame is that? I feel the same way when leaders talk about getting renewable energy in our portfolio and then propose some pathetically small percentage by, like 2050 or so. And by 2022, shouldn't we all be flying around like the Jetson's anyway, presumably without gasoline? I read about the Germans successful project where they purchase old junker cars and urge people to use the cash to buy less polluting, more fuel efficient vehicles. Something that gets, say 27mpg. I hate to say it, but I liked aspects of the $4/gallon gas last year in the sense I saw changes on the street and people were excited to talk about alternatives. That seems to have gone by the wayside, at least in my little town.

The Volkswagen Lupo can do 78 mpg!
written by Jacob, March 30, 2009

The Volkswagen Lupo 3L can do 78 mpg!
-It runs 100 kilometres on 3 Litre = 33.3km/Litre =78 mpg!

It has been sold since 1999 here in Denmark.
But production stopped a few years ago!

It is a small car, but it is 10 years old.
New technology must be able to do better than 40 mpg.

Harder, Better, Faster, Sooner
written by Tim, March 31, 2009

The first increase in passenger car standards in over two decades!? Seriously? I second the notion that we need a much more significant increase, since we've been sleeping on this for two decades. The past two decades have not only seen the biggest increase in CO2, but have also seen the greatest widespread awareness of this problem. Definitely time to do more!

what does that mean
written by mark, November 19, 2009

The DOT says the increase will save 887 million gallons of fuel and reduce CO2 emissions by 8.3 million metric tons.

Is that annually? Is that by 2020 or 2011.

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