First, a little history. In 1975, the federal government created the Corporate Average Fuel Economy target (CAFE), which outlined a matrix of target fuel economy standards as standards for cars and light trucks. The system raised the average fuel economy of cars from 18 to 27 (so, in broad terms, 10 MPG over 30 years). Trucks, as you may know, are classified separately, a fact which helped in no small part drive the boom in SUVs over the past decade.
And now, there's new talk about increasing the CAFE standards, which I'm all in favor of. But in light of our simultaneous need to reduce emissions, I think we need to consider a new standard.
Read More