The move aims to reduce emissions and make vehicles more efficient.
Apr 1, 2022 at 9:54 p.m
• 4 minutes reading time
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New cars in the US must meet stricter fuel economy standards, the Biden administration announced on Friday.
The rule requires cars, trucks and vans produced for the 2026 model year to travel an average of 49 miles per gallon, the Department of Transportation said. It will also increase fuel efficiency by 8% annually for the 2024-2025 model year and by 10% annually for the 2026 model year.
“Starting in the 2024 model year, when these standards go into effect, Americans buying a new vehicle will be spending less on gas than they would have if we hadn’t taken that step,” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said at a news conference at the company’s headquarters Agency Friday.
Vehicles travel eastbound on Interstate 80 in Emeryville, California on March 29, 2022.
The government says the new requirements will reduce fuel use by more than 200 billion gallons by 2050 and estimates 5.5 trillion pounds of carbon dioxide will be prevented from entering the atmosphere by 2050.
‘These vehicles will be better for the environment, safer than ever and cost less fuel over their lifetime,’ added Dr. Steven Cliff, the deputy administrator for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg speaks during an event on fuel economy standards at the Department of Transportation headquarters April 1, 2022 in Washington, DC
The move comes amid high gas prices across the country. President Joe Biden announced Thursday that he is ordering the release of about 1 million barrels a day of oil from the country’s strategic petroleum reserve over the next six months to bring down energy and gas prices.
Ford Motor Company welcomed the announcement in a statement, saying it was “an important step toward achieving our shared national goals.”