Automakers say upcoming fuel efficiency regs unrealistic

Tree huggers at the  NHTSA want to raise fuel efficiency requirements to 58 miles per gallon by 2032, regardless of the fallacy of electric cars.

Auto manufacturers who are members of the Alliance for Automotive Innovation told the administration of President Joe Biden that proposed fuel economy standards are currently impossible to meet in the timeframe indicated.

Enforcement of the fuel economy requirements would result in a situation where “manufacturers will pay over $14 billion in non-compliance penalties between 2027 and 2032,” Reuters reported GM and several other automakers as claiming.

The lion’s share of the penalties would be paid by the Big Three or Detroit Three car companies – GM, Ford, and Stellantis – amounting to approximately $10 billion. Other Alliance for Automotive Innovation members such as Volkswagen, Hyundai, and Toyota would shell out the remaining estimated $4 billion or thereabouts between 2027 and 2032.

The fines would accrue because an expected 50 percent of light trucks and one-third of passenger cars will be unable to meet the proposed fuel economy standards in the years leading up to 2032. The NHTSA called for an annual increase in fuel efficiency of 2 percent for passenger vehicles and 4 percent for trucks from 2027.

While similar complaints about stringent standards and the potentially massive fines resulting from them prompted European lawmakers to ease upcoming vehicle emissions requirements, the NHTSA seemed unfazed by the objections of GM and other major automakers.

In fact, an NHTSA representative vouched for the accuracy of the total fines GM and other automakers expect, stating the multi-billion dollar penalties are “consistent with our statutory obligations.” The car companies “are free to use electric vehicles to comply and avoid penalties altogether” according to the same representative.