More Safe, Clean and Fuel-Efficient Vehicles Will Be on U.S. Roads
NHTSA and the Environmental Protection Agency announced the Safer Affordable Fuel-Efficient Vehicles Rule on March 31, which will affect model years 2021-2026 passenger cars and light trucks that automakers manufacture — and that American families need for transportation to work, school, and leisure activities.
Under the rule, corporate average fuel economy — which regulates how far vehicles must travel on a gallon of fuel — and carbon dioxide emissions standards increase at an annual rate of 1.5% through model year 2026, down from about 5% under previous standards. All new vehicles will continue to be subject to the strict pollution standards of the Clean Air Act and will be subject to higher pollution standards than the older vehicles that will be retired because of this rule.
More than just fuel economy, which is projected to be 40.4 miles per gallon in MY 2026, and carbon dioxide are impacted by the SAFE Vehicles Rule. Required technology costs for new cars will be cut by $100 billion through model year 2029. For American families, this means about $1,400 less per new vehicle. By reducing costs, up to 2.7 million more new vehicles will be sold through model year 2029, which will support jobs for Americans with automakers, suppliers, and related businesses.
NHTSA research shows that newer vehicles are safer vehicles, and this rule will help American families afford newer vehicles with the latest safety technologies. There will be about 3,300 fewer crash fatalities and 397,000 fewer injuries in crashes over the lifetimes of vehicles built through model year 2029.
Thanks to the SAFE Vehicles Rule, more American families will be able to afford newer, safer, and cleaner vehicles.
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