NHTSA Announces New Fuel Economy Standards

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The US Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has announced new fuel economy standards for fleets. The new standards will ensure that OEMs improve vehicle miles-per-gallon, making them more efficient and reducing transportation emissions.

The new Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards require an industry-wide fleet average of approximately 49 mpg for light trucks in model year 2026, the strongest cost savings and fuel efficiency standards to date. The new standards will increase fuel efficiency 8% annually for model years 2024-2025 and 10% annually for model year 2026. They will also increase the estimated fleetwide average by nearly 10 miles per gallon for model year 2026, relative to model year 2021.

Strong fuel economy standards strengthen US energy independence and help reduce reliance on fossil fuels. Since CAFE was signed into law in 1975, the standards have reduced American oil consumption by 25%, or approximately 5 million barrels a day since then. The new CAFE standards for model year 2024-26 will reduce fuel use by more than 200 billion gallons through 2050, as compared to continuing under the old standards, the NHTSA says.

Dr. Steven Cliff, NHTSA’s Deputy Administrator, says these new standards will make vehicles “better for the environment, safer than ever, and cost less to fuel over their lifetimes.”

This comes two years after attorneys general from 23 states sued the Trump administration over its final rule rolling back Obama-era fuel economy standards.

Environment + Energy Leader