US lowers vehicle efficiency target to 34.9 mpg by 2031
The US Department of Transportation has replaced the Biden-era fleet average target of 50.4 miles per gallon. The administration projects lower vehicle prices and savings, while critics warn of higher fuel and health costs.
The US Department of Transportation has finalised rules setting a fleet average fuel economy of 34.9 miles per gallon by model year 2031, replacing the Biden-era target of 50.4 mpg. The figures apply to fleet averages, not every vehicle.
The Trump administration says the change could reduce the average price of a new vehicle by $1,300 and save $138 billion over five years. Those projections have been disputed.
Automakers are supportive of the new rules, according to The Verge. Consumer advocacy, health and environmental groups argue that weaker standards could mean higher fuel costs, healthcare costs and climate-related damage.
The Biden-era standards were expected to save $23 billion in fuel costs and more than $600 in petrol over a vehicle’s lifetime. The supplied material does not establish how the competing cost projections were calculated.
Harold Wimmer, president and chief executive of the American Lung Association, said fuel economy standards save lives and money, and argued there was no reason to weaken standards he described as technologically feasible.
