according to what i just read, a senate committee bill wants to move to a fleet average (cafe) of 35mpg by 2020.
w. is pushing to eliminate the fleet average and replace it with minimum mpg ratings based on the size of the vehicle.
on the surface you'd think even the stronger senate plan would be doable. today's cafe requirement is 27.5mpg.
however, given the poor financial condition of all of the u.s. automakers, you can see why they don't want to be forced to actually invest in any r&d. your note about toyota is certainly on target.
i also wonder if the push to use more ethanol, which if i recall correctly actually reduces mpg, will be in conflict to improve overall mileage.
regardless, some number of years will have to be given to the automakers to make improvements. the r&d to showroom floor time frame on a new vehicle is several years. unless you believe they already possess the technology to improve mileage substantially (27.5 to 35 is a 27% increase), they'll need some time to figure all of that out too.
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according to what i just read, a senate committee bill wants to move to a fleet average (cafe) of 35mpg by 2020.
w. is pushing to eliminate the fleet average and replace it with minimum mpg ratings based on the size of the vehicle.
on the surface you'd think even the stronger senate plan would be doable. today's cafe requirement is 27.5mpg.
however, given the poor financial condition of all of the u.s. automakers, you can see why they don't want to be forced to actually invest in any r&d. your note about toyota is certainly on target.
i also wonder if the push to use more ethanol, which if i recall correctly actually reduces mpg, will be in conflict to improve overall mileage.
regardless, some number of years will have to be given to the automakers to make improvements. the r&d to showroom floor time frame on a new vehicle is several years. unless you believe they already possess the technology to improve mileage substantially (27.5 to 35 is a 27% increase), they'll need some time to figure all of that out too.
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