subject: How the EPA's New Fuel Economy Standard Will Affect Automakers [print this page] How the EPA's New Fuel Economy Standard Will Affect Automakers
How the EPA's New Fuel Economy Standard Will Affect Automakers
By 2016, all cars being produced for the United States will have to get at least 34.1 miles per gallon. 2016 seems like a long time to wait for this fuel economy. It seems inexcusable to me that cars aren't coming off the line with this fuel economy standard. What will it cost the auto makers to meet the criteria? What does this requirement mean for the future of our cars? Looking at this data, I have to imagine a world where everyone is driving a SMART sized car, but the automotive giants aren't into manufacturing fun sized vehicles.
Toyota, Kia, Honda, and Hyundai are already up to date as far as their gas consumption goes. According to recent reports, these car companies will only end up spending between $450-$750 per vehicle to meet the new standard. It's the American and German cars that will have to spend more money.
If you were planning on buying a brand new Mustang in 2016, you'll probably have to dish out an extra $3000 per vehicle, if Ford doesn't change their building model. That's because Ford is going to have to invest an extra $1228 per vehicle in order to meet the 34 miles per gallon standard. Surprisingly, Volkswagen will have to invest almost $2000 per vehicle to make cars meet the 34 miles per gallon standard. You may think this is a big deal, but it seems to me Ford can figure out a better way of making the car. Perhaps figuring out how to incorporate lighter materials into the frame or the engine could cut down on fuel consumption.
Companies could follow Audi's suit and start developing cars that utilize aluminum to lower the weight of the car. When the weight of a vehicle drops, so does the amount of gas consumed to power the engine. Let's hope that auto companies figure out light weight ways reinforcing aluminum frames to make them durable against front end crashes and rear end crashes. If they are only using aluminum framing, then it seems more likely that the cars would be more severely damaged during an auto accident.
I'm sure automakers will figure it out, and if they don't then that means consumers will just have to spend more money up front on a car.
Agood mechanic Issaquahof Autoworks enjoys staying up to date with the latest automotive trends. With advanced auto service Issaquah, people can be comfortable with all kinds of auto services and repairs, including break repair Issaquah.
