A letter from the White House to congressional leaders says that any bill on fuel economy standards should separate light trucks and passenger cars; if not, the bill may face a veto from the President.
Currently, car and truck fuel economy standards are different for the simple reason that the two are used differently. A bill passed by the senate combines car and truck fuel economy and says the fuel economy should be raised to 35mpg by 2020.
Another bill, which has the backing of the Detroit Big3, Toyota and UAW and the automobile manufacturers in general, keeps cars and trucks on a different platform. This bill, dubbed the ‘Hill-Terry’ bill seeks to raise fuel economy for cars to 35mpg by 2022, while trucks can follow the line at a slower pace.
It appears that the White House is on the side of the automakers, not a bad idea considering the second bill is more realistic and achievable. With consumer demand pushing fuel economy up, the fuel economy may as well shoot above the standards set by the bill in the near future.
[Via: Detroit News]
