XPost: alt.fan.rush-limbaugh   
   From: x@y.com   
      
   Trump Wants to Trade Fuel Economy for Cheaper Cars. But It Might Not Work   
      
   The Trump administration says its proposal to roll back vehicle fuel   
   economy standards, announced officially in the Oval Office on Wednesday, is   
   an attempt to shave dollars off the ballooning cost of new cars in the US.   
      
   But the intended price drops likely won't show up on dealership lots and   
   showroom floors for months if not years, given the length of automakers'   
   product planning schedule. It would also likely force Americans to pay   
   more, long-term, at another place they tend to visit more frequently: the   
   pump.   
      
   The proposal from the US Department of Transportation would require   
   automakers to reach a fleet-wide average of 34.5 miles per gallon by model   
   year 2031, down from the 50.4-miles-per-gallon benchmark set by the Biden   
   administration. (The Biden-era rules called for a 49-miles-per-gallon   
   average in 2026. ) The department estimates the change could save US auto   
   buyers around $1,000 per car, adding up to $109 billion over the next five   
   years. New vehicles now cost more than $49,000 on average, according to   
   Edmunds. The government will accept public comments on the proposal through   
   mid-January. It could be finalized sometime next year.   
      
   The rollback is part of a larger federal about-face on not only auto   
   policy, but the government's attitude on climate change. The Biden   
   administration took a carrot-and-stick approach to vehicles and their   
   effect on the environment. Light-duty cars and trucks alone are responsible   
   for some 15 percent of US greenhouse gas emissions, according to the US   
   Environmental Protection Agency. The previous administration tried to boost   
   electric vehicle adoption by using tax subsidies for consumers and   
   manufacturers interested in building fuel-efficient vehicles and   
   technologies, including batteries. It also introduced penalties for those   
   unable or unwilling to meet stricter environmental standards. Automakers   
   should be able to hit next decade's goals by selling more electric   
   vehicles, the government then reasoned.   
      
   But as consumers failed to take to EVs quite as quickly as once hoped,   
   automakers complained the rules were too onerous. "We've been clear and   
   consistent: The current [fuel economy] rules finalized under the previous   
   administration are extremely challenging for automakers to achieve given   
   the current marketplace for EVs, " wrote John Bozzella, the president and   
   CEO of top auto trade organization the Alliance for Automotive Innovation,   
   in a media statement on Wednesday.   
      
   The new proposal, though intended to make new cars more affordable, won't   
   be a quick fix for consumers looking for price relief, analysts and   
   environmental advocates say. "The regulatory landscape remains stop-and-   
   start, " said Jessica Caldwell, the head of insights at Edmunds, in a media   
   statement. The last Trump administration rolled back fuel economy   
   standards, too. What might the next president do? Meanwhile, the   
   administration continues to waffle on auto tariffs, which have forced US   
   and global automakers to think about not only where their vehicles are   
   manufactured but also where parts and base materials are made, too. That   
   complexity adds expenses to automaking.   
      
   Also pushing up costs for automakers: the challenge of developing new   
   technology like automated vehicle features and figuring out how to keep   
   selling gas-powered vehicles to Americans while drivers in other countries   
   take the leap to EVs. "Easing these requirements helps at the margins, "   
   says Caldwell, "but it is unlikely to dramatically alter the broader   
   commitments [automakers] have already made. "   
      
   The move, if finalized, could be better news for gas companies. "Weakening   
   fuel economy standards won't do much to make cars more affordable but is   
   certain to make Americans buy a lot more gasoline, " says Albert Gore, the   
   executive director of the Zero Emission Transportation Association, a group   
   that represents companies up and down the electric vehicle supply chain.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
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