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Dear Friend,
Sometimes I wonder: will we ever have options for cleaner cars that are also affordable and fun to drive? Luckily, the answer from UCS engineers is: Yes, we will—and soon! Two recent events have shifted the future of the automobile into high gear. In November, the Obama administration proposed strengthened fuel efficiency and global warming emissions standards for cars and light trucks. The state of California followed with a suite of policies designed to foster the development of cleaner gasoline vehicles and electric car technology—for California and the nation. These two major steps are critical to putting the automobile industry on a course to develop the next generation of cleaner cars in all shapes, sizes, and price ranges—saving consumers money, curbing global warming emissions, and reducing our dependence on oil. —Karla |
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| Science in Action |
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Support strong, national clean car standards
The Obama administration is preparing to finalize rules that will nearly double fuel efficiency and cut emissions in half for new cars and trucks by 2025—but they’re not a done deal yet. Automakers and their allies are working behind the scenes to weaken or undermine the standards. Submit a comment today in support of cleaner cars. Hurry, the comment period ends soon!
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| Ask the Scientist |
 Jim Kliesch, M.E.E.P.,
Research DirectorFollow
Jim’s blog  |
When I read about the government’s stricter fuel efficiency and global warming pollution standards for new cars, the numbers in the press accounts sounded too good to be true. The skeptic in me wondered: are they artificially inflated somehow? What will the new standards actually mean for the fuel economy of new car models in the real world?
-B, Von Holle, Oviedo, FL.You are right to be skeptical. The tests used to determine the miles-per-gallon (mpg) figures in the government standards, and often echoed in the press, were developed about 40 years ago and driving styles and vehicle features have changed a lot since then. So these tests produce mpg numbers that run, on average, about 28 percent higher than the actual rates you would receive driving today’s cars on the road. But that doesn’t change the fact that the new standards will require automakers to produce vehicles that emit roughly half the global warming emissions produced by today’s new automobiles—and that’s very good news for our health and our planet. MOREShare:
Do you have a question for UCS scientists? Submit your question today. |
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| This Just In |
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CA leads the way to a clean car future
As part of a series of policies designed to reduce air pollution and drive technology development, California recently announced its intent to strengthen the Zero Emissions Vehicles (ZEV) program to require battery, fuel cell, and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles to account for 1.4 million new vehicle sales in the state between 2018 and 2025. Although UCS analysis indicates that the target can and should be set higher, the ZEV proposal is a promising step that will drive innovation in clean vehicle technology and give car buyers in California—and nationwide—cleaner alternatives to gasoline-powered automobiles. MORE |
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