New cars and trucks sold in the Unites States will need to meet a fleet average of 31.6 miles per gallon by 2015, according to a White House proposal that urges more fuel-efficient vehicles to combat high gasoline prices and addresses concerns about global warming.
Transportation Secretary Mary Peters outlined the plan on Earth Day, setting a schedule that was more aggressive than initially expected by the auto industry. It responds to a new energy law that requires new cars and trucks, taken as a collective average, to meet 35 mpg by 2020.
"This proposal is going to help us all breathe a little easier by reducing carbon dioxide emissions from tailpipes, cutting fuel consumption and making driving a little more affordable," Peters said.
New cars and trucks will have to meet a fleet-wide average of 31.6 mpg by 2015, or about a 4.5 percent annual increase from 2011 to 2015. In 2015, passenger cars will need to achieve 35.7 mpg and trucks will need to reach 28.6 percent.
The rules were designed to push companies to boost fuel efficiency across their entire lineup. Manufacturers will have different requirements for cars and trucks of different sizes based on vehicle sales. Collectively, the fleet of new vehicles will need to meet the rules.
The plan is expected to save nearly 55 billion gallons of oil and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 521 million metric tons over the life of the new vehicles built between 2011-2015. It will add an average cost of 650 U.S. dollars per passenger car and 979 dollars per truck by 2015.
In keeping with the new law, however, automakers will continue to receive a 1.2 mpg credit for producing flexible fuel vehicles which run on ethanol blends, but the credit will begin phasing out in 2014. Environmental groups have called it a loophole, noting that few vehicles actually use E85 ethanol.
Source:Xinhua
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