Fuel-economy rules not the cause of rising auto prices: analysis

Fuel gaugeLobbyists for big automakers, both domestic and foreign, make no secret about their desire for lower fuel-economy standards. One argument presented to support a lowering of standards is that the cost of compliance with current rules will be passed on to consumers in the form of higher new-car prices. Carmakers must implement efficiency-boosting...

Probe into Smart ForTwo engine fires started by NHTSA

2008 Smart FortwoThe National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is now investigating the potential for engine fires in certain Smart ForTwo city cars. Approximately 43,000 cars built during 2008 and 2009 are affected. An investigation was started after the NHTSA received eight complaints reporting incidents of engine-compartment fires in cars from these two...

NHTSA delays penalty rise for carmakers who miss CAFE levels

Fuel gaugeCurrent Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards require automakers to achieve a fleet average of roughly 54.5 mpg by 2025. That's actually closer to 40 mpg in the real world, as presented on new-car window stickers, but it still represents a major increase over the next few years. The auto industry has argued that it is too large an...

EPA keeps car-emission rules to 2025; what happens under Trump?

Chrome exhaust pipeTwo days ago, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued a ruling that existing limits on tailpipe emissions of carbon dioxide for 2022 through 2025 should remain in place. The EPA's carbon limits correspond exactly to NHTSA standards for corporate average fuel economy, and the EPA decision was widely (if incorrectly) reported to be about...

Feds issue mandatory-noise rule for new electric, hybrid cars

2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV, road test, California coastline, Sep 2016The U.S. government finally issued its long-debated rules for noise-making devices in so-called "quiet cars." They require all new hybrid and plug-in electric cars to emit noises that alert pedestrians to their presence. Because these cars operate near-silently on electric power, regulators have expressed concerns that they constitute a greater...