Obama administration to set new fuel-efficiency standards for medium, heavy pickups

2011 Chevrolet Silverado HD

Ever pushing for more stringent fuel-efficiency standards, the Obama administration is set to release the details of proposed fuel-efficiency standards for medium- and heavy-duty trucks from 2014 to 2018. This past May, the president signed a memo directing both the EPA and the NHTSA to co-write the first-ever set of fuel-efficiency standards for that class of vehicles.

“I believe it’s possible in the next 20 years for vehicles to use half the fuel and produce half the pollution that they do today,” Obama said at a White House ceremony back in May.

The new proposals are critical to reducing greenhouse gases and vehicle emissions over the long-term, given the fact that the heaviest vehicles consume more than 2 million barrels of oil every day while averaging 6.1 mpg and emitting 20% of the greenhouse gases for the entire transportation sector.

Manufacturers are strongly encouraged under the new rules to replace old-technology diesel engines with newer-tech ones, as the newer engines emit 90% fewer pollutants.

– By: Stephen Calogera

Source: Automotive News