Obama Sets 54.5-mpg Fuel-Efficiency Standard for Cars, Light Trucks by 2025
President Obama announced an agreement with 12 major automakers to boost fuel-economy standard for cars and light-duty trucks to 54.5 mpg by 2025, the Department of Transportation said Friday.
Separately, federal officials also may soon issue regulations to set fuel-efficiency and carbon-emission standards for medium- and heavy-duty trucks, which were first proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency and DOT’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in October. When they were proposed, officials said those standards would be issued by July.
They would be the first-ever fuel-efficiency and carbon-emission standards for heavy-duty trucks and are aimed at cutting emissions 7% to 20% by 2017.
Obama was joined Friday by representatives of major automakers representing over 90% of vehicles sold in the United States, as well as representatives of the United Auto Workers and the state of California, who were integral to developing the agreement, DOT said.
“This agreement represents the most important step we’ve ever taken as a nation to reduce our dependence on foreign oil,” Obama said in a statement released by DOT.
A separate rule issued in 2009 that takes effect next year will require automakers to increase average fuel economy to 35.5 mpg by 2016, Bloomberg reported.
Changes to the 2017-2025 new proposal can be made before the first draft is published by Sept. 30, and the final rule is scheduled will be published next year, Bloomberg said.
