June 07, 2024
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) released its updated Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) Standards for passenger cars and light trucks for model years 2027-2031, and for commercial pickup trucks and work vans sold in model years 2030-2035. CAFE Standards reduce oil consumption by setting standards for how far vehicles must travel on a gallon of gas. Reducing oil consumption also cuts tailpipe pollution.
“The Environmental Law & Policy Center appreciates the NHTSA’s Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards for model years 2027-2031 cars and light trucks as another critical step from the Biden administration to tackle the climate crisis and our reliance on oil.
“Even as we look forward to an electric vehicle future, these standards ensure that vehicles with internal combustion engines continue to use less oil and emit less pollution.
“With climate change dramatically heating up the planet and impacting the Great Lakes region and communities around the globe, stronger standards would have delivered greater benefits to consumers and the climate. The new rule sets a fleetwide fuel economy standard of 50.4 miles per gallon (mpg) for passenger cars and light trucks in 2031, which equates to approximately 38 mpg in real world performance. This represents only a slight increase from the approximately 35 mpg required in 2026.
“With transportation the leading source of U.S. climate pollution and gas prices continuing to drain dollars from our pockets, these standards are a good step forward. Between these standards and EPA’s greenhouse gas standards, consumers will have better choices that will save them at the pump and pollute less.”