Consumer groups back 54.5 mpg standard as hearings commence (Autoblog)
Filed under: Government/Legal
Experts have already predicted that toughened fuel efficiency standards will
lead to cleaner air and help wean the United States from its reliance on
foreign oil. Turns out, they could benefit consumer’s wallets too.
That’s the conclusion of the Consumers Union and Consumer Federation of
America, which briefed reporters on Jan. 12 in preparation for a series of
three public hearings that begin today, January 17, in Detroit on the new 54.5
mile-per-gallon standard currently under government scrutiny. That is the fuel
economy average the Obama Administration wants automakers to achieve by 2025.
There are two more hearings this month, one in San Francisco and one in
Philadelphia.
The two consumer organizations said the new standard will save the average
driver approximately $3,000 over a decade of ownership. Both groups said they
would endorse an agreement between the Obama administration and automakers to
implement the new standard by 2025. But there is a lot of chatter in the auto
industry about whether this is a standard that American car buyers are really
interested in.
On one hand, 80 percent of consumers say they are interested in owning a
hybrid or electric vehicle, according to a …