Vehicle Fuel Efficiency Bills Introduced in Congress

Washington DC November 20, 2005; The AIADA newsletter reported that this past Wednesday, a bipartisan group of lawmakers introduced the Vehicle and Fuel Choices for American Security Act of 2005 in both chambers. The bill will seek to boost corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) standards by increasing the number of alternative fuel vehicles U.S. automakers would have to manufacture.

The legislation would require automakers to ensure that at least 10 percent of their fleets contain alternative technologies, such as biofuels or diesels in an effort to boost fuel economy by 25 percent over traditional automobiles by 2012. Automakers would then have to gradually boost the percentage of alternative technology vehicles each year until they comprise 50 percent of their fleet.

Other provisions include new scoring requirements in the federal government, which analyze energy policies according to their oil savings to allow for a more accurate public debate over energy priorities and permit measurement of successful programs and progress toward the goal. It would provide incentives to auto manufacturers to produce and consumers to purchase hybrid vehicles, flexible fuel vehicles and “plug in” hybrid vehicles. The bill would provide incentives to develop ultra-light materials and labeling of tires to allow consumers to choose the most fuel-efficient models that can provide 3-4 percent in increased fuel efficiency.

Meanwhile, Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) introduced the Fuel Security and Consumer Choice Act; S.1994 which would call for a percentage of new automobiles manufactured to be dual fueled automobiles, and would revise the method for calculating corporate average fuel economy for such vehicles. In turn, Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) introduced S.2045, which would require all US marketed vehicles to be manufactured as Flexible Fuel Vehicles (FFVs) within 10 years. FFVs can use both regular gasoline and E-85 renewable fuel (fuel with 85 percent ethanol content). The bill would require 10 percent of vehicles sold in the United States be FFVs within 18 months of its passage as law. Earlier this year, Senator Richard Lugar (R-IN) led 21 bipartisan Senators in introducing the Fuels Security Act, S.650, to more than double the production and use of domestic renewable fuels including ethanol, biodiesel fuels.