It’s not going to be easy to meet new released this week by the Obama administration.
In order to nearly double the average mileage that cars and trucks get from a gallon of gas by 2025, automakers will have to innovate. It’s going to make a new car cost more, too. And not all consumers may be thrilled with their choices.
Given all of these concerns, is it worth doing? You bet.
This nation must reduce its dependence on foreign oil. And it has to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases it releases into the atmosphere.
These reductions, if they are to be meaningful, won’t come easily. They will require big course corrections.
The administration’s new rules, which will require automakers to create cars and trucks that get an have the potential to be a game-changer.
The Obama administration the new rules will reduce oil consumption by 2 million barrels a day and cut in half the greenhouse gases emitted by cars and light trucks by 2025.
One of the downsides is cost. It’s going to add anywhere from $1,8oo to $3,000 to the cost of a new car, depending upon whose estimates you believe. The counterbalance to that is the savings consumers will enjoy at the pump. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said the standards will results in fuel savings of $8,000 over the life of a vehicle.
Another upside is that automakers are on board with the new standards, having been involved in lengthy discussions about them.
The trickier part of the equation will be consumer response.
How will people react to seeing vehicle choices that include more gas-electric and plug-in hybrids? Will they go for cars and trucks powered by natural gas? What will they think of cars shaped more for aerodynamics than style?
An important element is a mandatory mid-program review of the new standards that will happen at the end of the decade. The standards could be modified if consumers are turning away from the new cars and trucks, or if innovation isn’t keeping pace with the rules. It’s an important and realistic safety valve.
The strict new standards will present technological challenges for the auto industry and test consumer appetite for change. But they are a serious effort to address the daunting energy and environmental challenges this nation faces.
