Potentially catastrophic effects of global warming include dramatic water shortages, new pests, heat waves, heavy downpours, disruption of habitats such as the Great Coral Reef, allergies, infectious disease outbreaks and more. One of the major causes of global warming is the personal vehicle. Currently, the U.S. transportation sector is responsible for about a third of our country’s climate-changing emissions. Globally, about 15 percent of manmade carbon dioxide comes from cars, trucks, airplanes, ships and other vehicles.
Solutions to the transportation problem are already underway and one of the most vital steps in fighting global warming is through the reduction of transportation emissions.
OEM and Automaker Responsibilities
Automakers and the OEM companies that supply them are already working on solutions to some of the issues that are leading to global warming. Current solutions involve developing and releasing fuel efficient vehicles, and electric cars and trucks which drastically work to reduce transportation emissions. The ongoing migration from conventional vehicles to more fuel efficient vehicles can have huge impacts on the reduction of negative environmental impacts.
As much as automakers and OEMs are leading the charge because of their own sense of responsibility to the earth and future generations, they are also following increasingly tough fuel economy regulations. Such regulations are one key driver of the industry’s turn towards cleaner transportation solutions. Let’s take a look at how a few of those regulations have taken shape over the past few years, and project their impacts in the decade to come.
US Government-Stipulated Fuel Economy Standards
In the United States, the federal government has regulated the fuel economy of cars and light-duty trucks for decades, with the latest rules increasing fuel economy and decreasing greenhouse gas emissions.
A 2010 rule raised the average fuel economy of new passenger vehicles to 34.1 miles per gallon (mpg) for model year 2016, a nearly 15 percent increase from 2011. A second rule, finalized in 2012, aims to raise average fuel economy to up to 54.5 mpg for model year 2025, for a combined increase of more than 90 percent over 2011 levels. The standards are also expected to reduce the carbon intensity of these vehicles by 40 percent through 2025. The standards were adopted by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) with the cooperation of major automakers and the state of California. Together, the standards represent the largest step taken by the federal government directed at slowing climate change.
Benefits of Improving Fuel Economy
Benefits of improving fuel economy include improving U.S. energy security, and cost savings for drivers. The car rule for model years 2017 to 2025 is projected to cut annual U.S. oil imports by an additional 6 percent, or 400,000 barrels per day, by 2025 over projections without the rule. When combined with the rule for model years 2012 to 2016, U.S. oil imports are expected to decline by more than 2 million barrels per day by 2025. The higher cost of vehicles with fuel efficiency improvements will be far outweighed by fuel savings, with the average driver saving thousands of dollars over the lifetime of a model year 2025 car compared to a model year 2010 car.
How Tougher Fuel Economy Regulations Are Affecting Automakers and OEMs
Automakers and OEMs are devising plans to meet the growing emission regulations that will continue to take effect over the coming years. Increasingly stringent emission standards lie ahead, requiring significant changes in vehicle emissions systems. Automakers are working closely with their emission engineers and OEMs to develop proprietary technologies to come up with the solutions needed to reduce emissions. However these developments bring an increase in costs, which lead to another obstacle to overcome, ensuring their final product is affordable and marketable to consumers.
The race is on for a better future, let’s see which automakers and OEMs end up at the forefront.
