Obama will be announcing new CAFE requirements tomorrow - expected 55mpg

It was changed to combined fleet average in the last go-round, so I expect that to stay.

It is important to note that CAFE MPG are not equal to the EPA MPG on window stickers.

 

Some more information. It seems the plan was waiting for Toyota, which seems to be on board now. The 54.5 should include trucks, we won't know the full rules until tomorrow.

Toyota Said to Support U.S. Fuel-Economy Plan - Bloomberg

 

By 2025 I would hope people stare at you with equal confusion when you ask for a "gallon of fuel" for your vehicle as they do today if you ask your local electronics store person for a laser disk, cassette tape, or phonograph.

 

Part of me wishes Toyota had said something like this: "We are Toyota; we make the highest gas mileage car on the planet: the Prius. We could meet this standard tomorrow, if you enacted it. In fact, if 78% of America's cars were already Toyota Prii, America would be at 2025's goal, TODAY. Make the number whatever you want; Toyota will figure out how to meet it."

Of course, another part of me wishes, ALL car maker's had said something like that.

 

Best quote I've read so far:

 

Volkswagen AG didn't sign the agreement to support the Obama administration's proposal, the Wolfsburg, Germany-based carmaker said in an e-mailed statement. The "positive impact" of so-called clean diesel, used by the company's mid-size Passat TDI, which can get 43 mpg on the highway and travel almost 800 miles on a tank of fuel, doesn't receive consideration in the proposal, Volkswagen said.

"The proposal encourages manufacturers and customers to shift toward larger, less-efficient vehicles, defeating the goal of reduced greenhouse-gas emissions," Tony Cervone, a Volkswagen spokesman, said in an e-mailed statement. "We are committed to the ongoing negotiations with the White House on reaching maximum achievable fuel economy and/or greenhouse-gas reduction standards."

Daimler AG, the Stuttgart, Germany-based maker of Mercedes- Benz vehicles, also hasn't agreed to support the proposal.​

Read more: Automakers Agree to 54.5 MPG Fuel-Economy Rule, Obama Says​

 

VW double-speak for "we did not get an easier pollution standard."

 

There's also talk of introducing standards for heavy vehicles for the first time, which is kind of exciting, in some fashion. People are trying to see how to improve MPG on an 18-wheeler. I just want to sit back with a bowl of popcorn and watch the fun.

 

Except that it is phased 5% or so each year.

 

doublespeak confusion and bashers

There's a thread in Tivocommunity (you need an account there to see it) at TiVo Community on this. Some people, like myself are chiming in to support it, explain it, etc. The thread starter and a few others bashed it but don't seem to understand the difference between CAFE mpg vs. Monroney (window sticker) combined mpg....

There's crazy garbage being posted like "the traditional American cars and trucks that can no longer be sold will share the road with 54.5 mpg, 1000-lb deathtraps." I've replied a bunch and here's part of one of them:

The thread starter started off with this:

and later on says:

I pointed out to him how much oil the US consumes a day, the amount of proven reserves in the US as well as how long it'd last if we consumed at our current rate and could somehow pump out enough domestic oil to cover it.

Someone else asked him:

Of course... the drill baby drill guy (aka thread starter at TC) has no reply.

 

Re: doublespeak confusion and bashers

Already been done.



Luigi Colani designed the 2 above trucks and with NO MODIFICATIONS to the engines, achieved 30% reduction in fuel use. All aerodynamics at work. He also made a version that looked like a giant pointed tube, which again achieves a 50% reduction in fuel use (at highway speeds >= 50mph) with no modifications to the engine.

I applaud you for trying to beat some sense into these people. I would only add that vehicles today are already beating those futuristic standards. In 14 years just think of what can be achieved. If you asked someone working on a Pentium MMX with 4Mb of RAM, 500Mb of hard drive space, a monochrome green VGA monitor and Windows 95 14 years ago that the brick of a device called a cell phone would evolve into a dual core 1GHz device with 2GB of RAM, hundreds of GB's of SSD space and a HD full colour display that fits in your pocket with room to spare, they would have laughed at you.

 

Re: doublespeak confusion and bashers

I had to do a double take. I first thought these were made by Mercedes Benz, but then realized those were windshield wipers...

 

Re: doublespeak confusion and bashers

Indeed. I think the NHW10 and NHW11 models will be classics undoubtedly. The NHW20.... maybe. It is "iconic" enough to be so, but so damn dependable and common that it might just be a regular good beater like an 80's Corolla. The GenIII, has no hope of being a classic in my mind though.

 

This standard is a joke. Our current vehicle (2007 Prius Touring) earns 52 mpg. What is the significance of waiting several years to achieve the same fuel efficiency?! The standard is also a moot point as we transition to PHEVs and pure electric vehicles. This plain "substituting oil for knowledge" instead of applying current knowledge.

 

Whatever will be, will be.
Bring on the new CAFE standards.
However, the cynic in me say's real advancement and change will come from consumer demand not imposed federal standards.

In the end the standard most closely adhered to is going to be profitability.