EPA: Automakers on Track to Meet Greenhouse Gas Emission Standards
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iStockphoto/Thinkstock(WASHINGTON) — The United States Environmental Protection Agency released a report on Friday showing that automakers are “off to a good start” in meeting the new greenhouse gas emission requirements.
The report focuses on 2012 and 2013, the first two years of a 14-year program that aims to reduce greenhouse gas emission. Under the new standards, automakers are tasked with reaching a fuel efficiency of 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025.
The EPA will not determine compliance with the new standards until 2014, due to the program’s long-term structure. The average fuel economy increased by just over one mile per gallon from 2011 to 2012. That improvement is the second-largest jump in the past 30 years.
Between 2012 and 2025, the new greenhouse gas emission standards are projected to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases emitted by over six billion metric tons, more than the U.S. produced in all of 2012.
In 2013, twice as many SUVs were measured at 25 miles per gallon or better, and seven times as many cars notched measurements of 40 miles per gallon or better.
The EPA says that consumers who purchase a new model year 2025 vehicle will save more than $8,000 in fuel costs over the vehicle’s lifetime.
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