EPA head downplays effect of gas prices on efficiency guidelines

November 18, 2014
The head of the Environmental Protection Agency has downplayed the potential negative effect of falling gasoline prices on the agency’s fuel-efficiency targets.
As average prices at the pump continue to hold below $3 per gallon in the US market, many buyers are opting for crossovers and SUVs rather than small fuel-efficient cars. The trend is expected to pose a challenge for the industry as it works to more than double fleet-wide fuel efficiency in the next decade.

“I expect that we will continue to have more and more fuel-efficient vehicles, and people will still want them,” EPA administrator Gina McCarthy said at a recent event, as quoted by The Detroit News.

The government set an ambitious goal of 54.5 mpg by 2025, however average fuel economy of newly purchased vehicles appears to be stagnating due to the drop in fuel prices.

McCarthy argues that some buyers are currently choosing SUVs because of the looming winter, but the overall average is still up for 2014 as most buyers look for vehicles with better fuel efficiency. The agency is only expecting fleet-wide efficiency to jump by less than one percent to 24.2 mpg, however, for the 2014 model year.

Despite McCarthy’s optimism, the EPA and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration could still revise their 2025 target after completing a review of current numbers and forecasted trends.

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