On the table are several proposals, with the most likely to be implemented being the one which calls for an annual increase in fuel efficiency requirements of in between 3 to 6 percent between 2017 and 2025.
California, the most active US state when it comes to emissions and fuel efficiency standards can choose to abide by its own regulations from 2016 onwards, should the federal numbers not be to its liking. The US is trying to prevent that.
"California has the ability to go first and we're in conversations to keep the national program together," NHTSA's administrator David Strickland told DetNews.
The work on the new regulations started soon after the previous set of requirements, which are to be applied to vehicles built from 2014, were approved. These regulations call for a reduction in fleet-wide greenhouse gas emissions by approximately five percent every year, starting with 2012.
By 2016, all vehicles on US roads should have a fuel economy rating of 35.5 mpg and average vehicle emission level of 250 grams of carbon dioxide per mile. These measures will reportedly save 1.8 billion barrels of oil over the lifetime of the vehicles and bring net savings from less fuel used of $3,000 for the owners for the lifetime of the car.
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