CAFE Archives – The Green Optimistic

EPA’s Misleading Emissions Estimate for CAFE Standards

Courtney Lepping — Thu, 28 Jul 2016 18:49:53 +0000

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) are under attack for “abandoning” their Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards for passenger cars, light-duty trucks, and medium-duty passenger vehicles. Citizens blindly trusted in the 163 grams/ mile or 54.5 miles per gallon (mpg) estimate of carbon […]

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Lightweight Cars Will Drive Fuel Economy Future, say Carmakers

Benji Jerew — Wed, 11 Mar 2015 04:44:47 +0000

Fuel economy in the automotive industry has been largely dependent on aerodynamics and powertrain enhancements, but lightweight cars are going to take us into the future. Since CAFE (Corporate Average Fuel Economy) standards were first implemented by the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency), back in 1978, the main means of reducing fuel consumption and emissions has […]

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CAFE Fail – Lexus NX to be Classified as a Light Truck

Benji Jerew — Wed, 06 Aug 2014 18:02:33 +0000

United States EPA CAFE (Environmental Protection Agency Corporate Average Fuel Economy) regulations are intended to keep automakers improving the average fuel economy of the US light vehicle fleet, but there are loopholes. Averaged in with the rest of Lexus’ offerings, the Lexus NX could contribute, for better or for worse, to Lexus’ CAFE rating. For […]

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Report – United States Average Fuel Economy New All-Time High

Benji Jerew — Wed, 12 Feb 2014 18:44:24 +0000

As fuel prices continue to rise and emissions regulations tighten, the results can be seen in the increased adoption of vehicles with better fuel economy. Automobiles are becoming more fuel-efficient every year and, at the same time, delivering better performance. For example, electric vehicles are torquey and fun-to-drive, and have the best fuel economy on […]

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For 2025 Fuel Economy Regulations, Electrification Not Entirely Necessary

Benji Jerew — Sat, 08 Feb 2014 13:00:50 +0000

United States’ average fuel economy, having reached an all-time high in 2013, is only getting started, considering the emissions regulations put in place. The US EPA (United States Environmental Protection Agency), in an effort to curb emissions, specifically carbon dioxide emissions, has set some regulations that govern how much carbon dioxide that specific automakers can […]

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Emissions Regulations Will Make Jeep Hybrids Absolutely Necessary

Benji Jerew — Tue, 24 Dec 2013 14:06:18 +0000

Thinking about Jeep hybrids, or the lack thereof, one reason we might see them soon is because of strengthening emissions regulations. So far, CAFE (Corporate Average Fuel Economy) regulations have enabled Jeep to continue to hold off making a Jeep hybrid. Currently, the only zero-emissions Chrysler vehicle being made is the Fiat 500e, in limited […]

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Why Automakers are Really Cutting Prices on Electric Vehicles?

Benji Jerew — Wed, 14 Aug 2013 16:08:29 +0000

There has been a lot of discussion on why electric vehicles sell, or don’t, and what can be done about it. The answer, of course, is to sell more pickup trucks? In the last year or so, prices of electric vehicles have been dropping steadily. For example, if you can jump through enough hoops, you […]

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Fiat 500e CARB Fodder After All, CEO Marchionne Calls it Masochism

Benji Jerew — Mon, 13 May 2013 13:05:23 +0000

Of all the fuel economy regulations, possibly in the world, those of California are the most strict, which is why electric vehicles [EV] like the Tesla Model S and Fiat 500e are such a great idea. CEOs of regular automobile companies that produce EVs aren’t as convinced that those regulations are very fair. California Air […]

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SAE 2013 – Fiat/Chrysler CEO Says Back Off on Fuel Economy Legislation

Benji Jerew — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 15:01:43 +0000

We’ve talked a lot about fuel economy legislation in the past, but does it really work on the business side of things? Perhaps more importantly, does fuel economy legislation, such as the CAFE [Corporate Average Fuel Economy] regulations for 2017 and 2025, achieve the intended effect? At the annual SAE World Congress [Society of Automotive […]

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Electrified Vehicles 25% of Ford’s Sales by 2020

Benji Jerew — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 19:15:26 +0000

With the adoption of increasingly strict emissions laws, automakers are turning to electrified vehicles to push emissions down and increase fuel efficiency. According to the recent Corporate Average Fuel Economy [CAFE] laws passed in November, automakers will have to be producing vehicles that emit no more than 163g/mi of carbon dioxide. If this were to […]

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New Chinese Fuel Economy Regulations Announced, Both Good and Bad

Benji Jerew — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 18:09:56 +0000

The world’s biggest automobile market is suffering financially, and new Chinese fuel economy regulations could be both good and bad. The small-car market in China really isn’t all that bad regarding fuel efficiency, and averaged 30mpg in 2009. By comparison, the US only just reached an all-time high in fuel economy, 23.8mpg in 2012. Much […]

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Obama Hints at Gentler Climate Change Legislation

Benji Jerew — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 05:12:44 +0000

We were all surprised but happy to hear that President Obama was calling for stronger climate change legislation at the beginning of his second term, but its execution is going to be a little gentler. Of course, in his first term in office, Obama couldn’t push too hard or else alienate most of his supporters, […]

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Europe Considering Fuel Economy Regulations, Balancing Jobs and Petroleum Consumption

Benji Jerew — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 04:43:18 +0000

In October, the EPA and DOT released the US plan to reduce emissions and now Europe is considering its own fuel economy regulations. There are a number of problems with business as usual in the automobile industry in the EU. First, petroleum imports cost about $1.3 billion daily and rising. Closely related to the amount […]

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Are CAFE Regulations Pushing Electric Vehicle Development?

Benji Jerew — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 07:42:57 +0000

Well, it wouldn’t be the first time that Corporate Average Fuel Economy [CAFE] regulations were the deciding factor in developing fuel efficient vehicles. Think back to 1996, the General Motors [GM] EV1, an electric vehicle, which replaced the GM Ultralight. The EV1 was CAFE fodder for certain, built only to make the grade, but ultimately […]

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