DOT Raises Fuel Economies for Model Year 2011 Cars, Light Trucks
April 10, 2009 // Published as a news service by IHS
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The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) increased fuel economy standards for model year (MY) 2011 cars and light trucks on March 27.
The revised Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards are expected to raise the average fuel economy of cars and light trucks to 27.3 miles per gallon (mpg), an increase of 2 mpg over the average fuel economy for MY 2010, according to the DOT.
Over the life of the new vehicles, the change is promoted as saving about 887 million gallons of fuel, cutting greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 8.3 million metric tons, according to the DOT.
The revised standards mark the first step in achieving the requirements of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, which requires the average fuel economy of cars and light trucks be at least 35 mpg by MY 2020.
The revised standards reclassify more than 1 million two-wheel-drive vehicles as passenger cars rather than trucks, a change that tended to pull down the average fuel economy of passenger cars, according to the DOT.
Despite that change, the standards are expected to increase the average fuel economy of MY 2011 passenger cars to 30.2 mpg, up from 27.5 mpg, while raising the average fuel economy of light trucks (vans, pickups and sport utility vehicles - SUVs) to 24.1 mpg.
While the revised standards impose a range of fuel economies based on the size of the vehicles, each manufacturer's domestic passenger cars must also achieve a minimum average fuel economy of 27.8 mpg or greater. The standards will take effect on May 29.
To allow automakers sufficient time to meet the revised standard, the DOT issued the revised CAFE standards by March 30, which forced the agency to rely on analyses generated under the previous presidential administration, according to the DOT.
The DOT is formulating CAFE standards for the 2012 model year and beyond, based on an updated analysis of fuel-saving technologies, market conditions and automaker plans for new vehicles.
The DOT also plans to draw on the results of an analysis of fuel-saving technologies performed by the National Academy of Science.
The committee that was formed to produce that report generated a 28-page "letter report" in February 2008 but fell behind schedule in its production of a final report, which is now planned for completion by September.
The final rule for average fuel economy of cars and light trucks for MY 2010 is available at from the DOT National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Source: U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) Vehicle Technologies Program.