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Draft Of MPG Rollback Says Motorists Will Use 500,000 More Barrels Of Oil

The Trump administration plans to unveil major changes in automobile fuel economy and emissions standards as soon as this week. A draft of the proposal from this past May sheds light on the administration’s reasoning.

The Detroit News reported Saturday that eased fuel economy standards will lead to reduced “societal costs” of half a trillion dollars through 2029, but an increase of 500,000 barrels of oil daily. Societal costs include air pollution, traffic accidents, road congestion, noise and energy security threats.

The increased fuel consumption will come as fuel economy standards likely freeze in 2020 instead of climb through 2026. If the Trump administration does freeze standards at 2020 levels, new cars and light trucks will average 37 mpg. Under the Obama administration, the regulation was to increase fuel economy to 47 mpg by 2026.

Automakers have said they’re in favor of increased fuel economy standards yearly, but the changes must reflect marketplace realities.

Most of the savings included in the rollback will come from fewer expenditures on fuel-saving technology. However, opponents argue savings at the gas pump would outweigh the cost of new technologies baked into the price of a car. Currently, the U.S. enjoys relatively low fuel prices, but that could change in the coming years.

The rollback will also likely propose the revoking of California’s right to set its own standards, which a number of other U.S. states follow.

Former GM Authority staff writer.

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Comments

  1. This will help the automakers with more time and the ability to spread out cost.

    The other factor will be customers will see less increases in the prices of cars to pay for all this development of Rube Goldberg devices in search of more and more mpg.

    They can only cut so many cylinders, add so many gears and shrink size so much. EV is still not mainstream yet cost and charge time wise yet charge.

    I don’t think anyone has an issue with more MPG but it needs to be administered in a real and economical time line in the best interest yo the country, customers and buisness.

    Reply
    1. That is a real and economical timeline. I’m sorry, but these companies are multi billion dollar companies. Don’t feed us bullsh*t about spreading the cost of R&D out over time, when automakers have had since the last administration to prepare for this. Reaching 47mpg should be no issue. Put a 48V battery in every vehicle to bring it up to speed from a traffic light, and bring the cylinders down to 3, with twin scroll turbos, and make the Materials more light weight. Hell, or just go electric altogether. GM is already planning it, VW is already doing it, and Tesla has long dominated it.

      Reply
      1. Sorry but moving billions is not pocketing billions.

        Adding hybrid systems like that add much to the cost and much to the cost of owners who have to replace them later on.

        People are growing tired of these expensive systems and small cars.

        Are you even aware of the added cost of lightweight materials?

        My last two cars were $45k and $55k and neither are high end models. Much has to do with many of these systems and the added use of magnesium/Boron Steel.

        Now if you have some secret formula for hitting these numbers with out added cost to the consumer then you need to share it as they would pay you well for that idea.

        Reply
        1. Why don’t the feds take a page from CA and go with a 47 mpg (instead of just EV) mandated quota? Use 10% or so. Put enough out there so the commuting fleet can adjust to fuel price spikes. That was the reason for CAFE in the first place, was it not? Leave the bulk of the market undisturbed.

          Speaking for myself, I’m no tech worshipper. I’m tired of the look of aero-turds and the sound of them too. And the footprint and ‘light truck’ CUV rules will really only push me to a bigger vehicle than I’d like.

          Reply
      2. Zach c. You would make a great teacher in California. California where they teach you what to think, not how to think.

        Reply
        1. That logic could be debated for the rest of the country. As what trump is doing, most of the country doesn’t agree with. As all consumers want better fuel economy in their vehicles, and it’s often the first thing buyers look for.

          Reply
          1. Not all consumers. I’ll take a ’19 Silverado with the less complex 5.3 engine and the 6 speed transmission.

            Reply
    2. Certain people also said Hitlery Clinton had a “96% chance of winning”….

      The same people also told us that President Trump’s battles with unfair Chinese trade practices would cripple the American economy…American economy is setting records in performance while the Chinese economy is starting to collapse. Chinese government has agreed to lower auto import tarriffs and other trade barriers to American goods, giving Mr. Trump and the American people another win…

      Some people said President Trump standing up to the unfair EU trade practices and massive trade deficit with them would cause millions of jobs to be lost and egg of President Trump’s face. Except last week the EU blinked and decided to remove all trade barriers to American goods and buy more products from American farmers.

      Quit the scaremongering, Sean, or you will lose another election. The American people are tired of the left-wing fake news propaganda from a bunch of sore losers that cant get over losing the election to Donald J. Trump. Time to move on, don’t you think?

      Reply
      1. What a self delusional crap!

        The meeting of EU Commission president Juncker with POTUS Trump did result in warm words, and apparently some sobering of Mr. Trump, but nothing concrete.

        If Trump would have wanted free trade, why has he canceled the finishing of the TTIP and refused to sign TPP? TPP is now created with exclusion of the USA.

        China has lowered import tariffs for cars from 25% to 15%, and announced a plan of ending the requirement of foreign companies to enter joint-ventures with Chinese partners if they want to invest in China. This has nothing to do with Trumps aggressive hullabaloo. After the US imposed tariffs on imports from China, the Chinese have imposed retaliatory tariffs on imports of cars and other products from the USA, notably agricultural products (the USA is the largest exporter of agricultural products worldwide). So, tariffs levied on imports of cars from the USA are now 15 % plus 25% retaliatory = 40%. Unfortunately, the Chinese hit by this move not so much US companies, but mainly the German automobile manufacturers BMW and Mercedes, who are the main exporters of cars from the USA.

        Get real, and deal with facts instead of wet dreams!

        Reply
      2. @Congrats re “unfair EU trade practices” —

        Trump thinks that it is unfair to provide products which are simply more attractive to customers in the USA than the barges on wheels with huge wings and tail fins, which the GM, Ford, and Chrysler used to produce. In order to sell cars in other countries beyond the US shores, GM and Ford had set up their own productions on other continents, and produced there cars sellable in those parts of the world.

        Then, after the Japanese cars found more and more customers in the USA, the US imposed unfair trade practices, namely quotas: “You man not sell more then x cars per year!”. To protect the US against better commercial vehicles from Europe, the USA imposed another unfair trade practice, the so-called “Chicken tax”, a 25% import duty, which gave the US automobile industry the leisure not to have to develop better cars.

        Protective tariffs are a good thing for an incipient industry — the USA even fought the civil war about this issue, if the USA should remain a colonial country just delivering raw materials to England, or if she should be allowed to develop her own industry.

        But protective tariffs for an industry which is no longer up to date can lead only to the stagnation of that industry, and speed up its decline.

        Reply
        1. Do you think you got thru? I don’t.

          Reply
          1. Facts are stubborn things, but some people are very resistant against factual information.

            “Why care about facts, when I have my prejudices?”

            Reply
    3. Those dying in fires today celebrate you.

      Reply
  2. Trump was just on TV saying he wants the cleanest water, the cleanest air the cleanest environment but less regulation. This makes absolutely no sense, so stop trying to brainwash the American people with lies.

    Reply
    1. The left-wing sore loser fake news media cant get over the fact that they lost the election to Trump. They were so humiliated after loudly proclaiming in such an arrogant manner how Trump “would never be President.”

      But let them continue to whine, cry and spew left-wing lies because it will just mean Trump will be re-elected in 2020 in a landslide. MAGA!

      Reply
  3. Wow, they’re everywhere.

    Reply

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