Vehicle Fuel Economy

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data......Page 6
Preface......Page 9
Abbreviations......Page 13
Results in Brief*......Page 15
Background......Page 19
The CAFE Program Is Designed to Reduce Oil Consumption by Cars and Light Trucks and Has Been Restructured for Light Trucks but Not for Cars......Page 20
NHTSA and EPA Implement a Prescribed Process to Ensure Compliance with Fuel Economy Standards......Page 21
NHTSA Recently Increased Standards and Reformed the Light Truck CAFE Program to Help Address Declining Fuel Economy......Page 23
NHTSA Has Not Changed the Car CAFE Standard Since 1990 but Has Requested Authority to Reform the Program......Page 26
The CAFE Program Has Saved Billions of Barrels of Oil, but Car Standards Have Not Changed for Decades......Page 28
The CAFE Program Has Several Strengths, Including Saving Oil; Compatibility with Other Issues, Such as Safety of Cars and Light Trucks; and Slowing the Increase in Greenhouse Gas Emissions......Page 29
Several Weaknesses in the CAFE Program Exist......Page 33
Experts Suggest That Refinements to the Car CAFE Program Could Increase Fuel Savings and Address Some Program Weaknesses......Page 40
NHTSA Generally Has the Capabilities to Reform CAFE Standards and Act Quickly in the Future, but Some Capabilities Could Be Improved......Page 43
Some Market-Based Policy Options Could Complement the CAFE Program......Page 47
Tax Credits Can Encourage Consumers to Purchase Vehicles with a Higher Fuel Economy, but Related Costs Must Be Considered in Designing Such a Policy......Page 48
Taxes Can Discourage the Purchase of Vehicles with a Low Fuel Economy and Provide a Revenue Stream for Other Fuel-Saving Programs, but Can Face Consumer Resistance......Page 50
Other Tax Policies with Different Goals Might Affect Consumer Choice of Vehicles......Page 52
Taxes on Gasoline, Carbon Emissions, or Vehicle Miles Traveled Could Affect a Broader Range of Consumer Decisions That Relate to Fuel Consumption......Page 53
Efforts to Expand the Market Demand for Biofuels Have Been Initiated, but Several Barriers Impede Progress......Page 56
A Carbon Cap-and-Trade Program Would Combine Regulatory and Market-Based Elements, but Including Cars and Light Trucks Could Be Complicated......Page 58
Conclusions......Page 61
Matters for Congressional Consideration......Page 63
Scope and Methodology......Page 65
Selected Manufacturers' CAFE Performance, Selected Years from 1990 through 2005......Page 69
References......Page 71
Index......Page 79