In a move that has car manufacturers up in arms, President Barack Obama has instructed the Environmental Protection Agency in the USA to grant waivers to California and other states that want to regulate vehicle emissions and mileage.
In the past, the Federal Government had set the standards beginning in 1975 when the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) regulations were introduced with a mandated average of 18mpg in vehicle year 1978. In 2007, the minimum had only risen to 27.5mpg before in 2008 the target was set to 35mpg by 2020.
Now however, California will push up the date for this goal to be reached – to 2016. The move sets a precedent for states to have control over emission standards with many states traditionally copying the actions that California takes – the likes of Oregon and Washington have been known to reach agreements on emission controls based on California’s actions in the past.
The changes to state regulations are likely to have a significant impact on the automotive industry which will have no choice but to supply more efficient cars a lot faster despite the fact that gas prices have plummeted and the urgency for green cars appears to have transpired.
Now the pressure is on manufacturers to produce efficient vehicles not only in the states that demand it, but country wide. The key for the US car manufacturers will be convincing consumers that greener, leaner vehicles do not necessarily equate to a loss of power
