No Easy Way Out

Proposed changes to the corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) standard would make light trucks subject to varying degrees of fuel efficiency based on “footprint” rather than weight.

The proposed standard would divide light trucks into six categories defined by multiplying a vehicle's wheelbase by its track width.

What Washington calls “Reformed CAFE” would require improved performance in each category, but larger vehicles would be subject to less stringent requirements than smaller vehicles.

The proposed regulations are expected to promote genuine gains in fuel efficiency because they will require meaningful engineering improvements.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Admin. considered a weight-based system, but it was rejected to prevent auto makers from simply adding pounds in a bid to match a vehicle's performance with the nearest requirement.

The switch in methodology bodes well for consumers and for proponents of lightweight materials.

“It really is the best of both worlds,” says Tom Gannon, chairman of the Aluminum Assn.'s auto and light-truck group.

“It will obviously help improve fuel economy because it holds all vehicles accountable to a certain standard. This will also encourage the use of lightweight materials to keep the vehicle size up.

“People like their sport/utilities,” Gannon adds. “They're not looking for a downsized sport/utility.”

If approved, the new system would require light trucks — by model-year '11 — to achieve fuel economy ratings ranging from 21.3 mpg to 28.4 mpg (11-8.2 L/100 km).

Over the lifetimes of those vehicles, an estimated 10 billion gallons (37.8 billion L) of fuel would be saved, according to NHTSA.

Because the 170-page proposal is so complex, NHTSA has extended to 90 days the deadline for public comment. Most proposed rules are open to comment for 60 days.

As Reformed CAFE goes under the microscope, overall reaction is mixed.

“I think it's a recognition that the system isn't working,” says Bill Ford, chairman and CEO of Ford Motor Co.

Ford and General Motors Corp. have railed against the current criteria because they are major producers of large SUVs. Yet, they still are held to the same 20.7-mpg (11.4-L/100 km) average as auto makers whose fleets are dominated by smaller, more fuel-efficient SUVs.

The current CAFE requirements are “generally set below the capabilities of limited-line manufacturers, who sell predominantly lighter and smaller light trucks,” the document says.

“Under Reformed CAFE, which accounts for size differences in product mix, virtually all light-truck manufacturers would be required to improve the fuel economy of their vehicles.”

But critics note the standard appears to give auto makers too much relief, reducing to 1.3 mpg (0.6 km/L) the improvement expected of them between 2008 and 2011. The current system would require a 1.5-mpg (0.6-km/L) improvement for light trucks by 2007.

“At a time when some Americans are paying almost $3 for a gallon (3.8 L) of gasoline and our troops are dying in the oil fields of the Middle East, the administration is doing next to nothing to reduce our insatiable thirst for oil,” says Joan Claybrook, president of Public Citizen, a national government watchdog organization.

This time last year, the average price for a gallon of regular-grade gasoline was $1.87, according to the American Automobile Assn.

Reaction from other industry insiders ranges from cautious to optimistic.

“This is a very complex rule-making,” says Charles Territo, spokesman for the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers. “It will take the companies awhile before they can go through it, they can look at it, they can see how it impacts their product plans and everything else.”

Josephine Cooper, group vice president of Toyota Motor North America, applauds NHTSA's effort.

“The proposed reforms provide an opportunity to improve the effectiveness of the CAFE program while protecting the economic health of the auto industry,” Cooper says. “While we may face some challenges, we will make every effort to meet or go beyond the new targets.”

The Reformed CAFE standards for MYs 2008-2010 would be:

MY 2008: From 26.8 mpg for the smallest vehicles to 20.4 mpg for the largest;

MY 2009: From 27.4 mpg for the smallest vehicles to 21.0 mpg for the largest;

MY 2010: From 27.8 mpg for the smallest vehicles to 20.8 mpg for the largest;

MY 2011: From 28.4 mpg for the smallest vehicles to 21.3 mpg for the largest.

The standards based on these targets would save about 10 billion gallons of fuel over the lifetime of the vehicles sold during those four model years.

The Unreformed CAFE standards for MYs 2008-2010 would be:

MY 2008: 22.5 mpg

MY 2009: 23.1 mpg

MY 2010: 23.5 mpg

Requirements by Class (as of '11):

Source: NHTSA