23-12-03 The US rules that govern fuel economy may be in for the most sweeping changes in nearly 30 years as regulators propose closing loopholes to force automakers to raise the gas mileage on sport/utility vehicles and trucks. The proposed revisions to the fuel economy program, first adopted by Congress in 1975 after the Arab oil embargo, would impact the regulations on gas mileage of some of the most popular vehicles, including PT Cruiser from Chrysler Group, the North American unit of DaimlerChrysler, and the Hummer H2 SUV, sold by General Motors.
"This marks the beginning of an important national dialogue on how best to reform CAFE," Department of Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta. "We can and must work together to save more fuel, increase passenger safety and protect American jobs."

The current Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards require automakers to achieve an average fuel economy of 27.5 miles per gallon (mpg) for all the passenger cars they sell, and 20.7 mpg for light trucks, which includes pickups, sport utility vehicles and vans.
Critics have charged that new vehicles have made a mockery of those classifications. At the time the CAFE rules were adopted, SUVs were scarce, the modern minivan hadn't been invented and most pickups were used by small businesses and farmers.

The PT Cruiser may look like a car, but it's categorized as a truck because of its cargo space, and thus subject to the lower fuel economy standards. Other automakers have also introduced so-called crossover vehicles.
"The distinction between cars and trucks has been stretched well beyond the original purpose," The National Academy of Science, a prestigious independent science group, said in a 2001 report that the NHTSA said their recommendations are partly based on. Environmental groups argue that loophole allows automakers to sell more gas-guzzling trucks by cutting the average truck fuel economy rating.

Under the current regulations, Detroit automakers have lower average fuel economy ratings than their foreign competitors because they sell light trucks. But by splitting truck fuel economy regulations into several weight classes, General Motors ranks high in gas mileage, the US agency said.
The NHTSA also proposed extending the fuel economy regulations to include vehicles with combined weight and payload capacity of between 8,500 and 10,000 pounds. That would cover the Hummer H2, made by AM General but sold by GM. The beefy and gas-thirsty SUV currently which gets 11 to 13 mpg and is exempt from the rules because of its combined weight of 8,600 pounds.

The auto industry has contended that tougher fuel economy standards could force them to make lighter vehicles that would be more dangerous, put US automakers at a disadvantage and limit consumer choice. However, the proposals include incentives not to cut weight to boost fuel economy, the NHTSA said.
The proposal drew mixed reviews from environmental and consumer groups, who have pushed for a straight out increase in mileage requirements to quickly cut consumption of gasoline and foreign oil.

"It's kind of a mixed message," said David Friedman, research director at the Union of Concerned Scientists. Friedman said it was "good news" that the agency wanted to close loopholes that classify some car-like vehicles as trucks. However, he said it was bad news for consumers that the agency is "blindly focused" on weight as the key determinant for the safety of a vehicle.
"We've seen the broad strokes, but we need to see the fine print," Eron Shoesteck, a spokesman for the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, which represents nine automakers, said when asked to comment on the changes. The NHTSA will seek comments from the public, and automakers, on the proposals, and then it would likely be at least a year before it adopted any measures, spokesman Rae Tyson said.

Source: AAM