On Wednesday, American President Donald Trump announced a downward revision of the rules governing fuel consumption and pollutant emissions for vehicles in the United States. He justified this decision by stating the desire to make car purchases more accessible and to reduce the constraints imposed on the automotive sector.
In a statement from the Oval Office, he declared that his administration would end the “CAFE” standards, which have been in place for several decades, arguing that they resulted in high costs for manufacturers and indirectly burdened consumers.
The White House explained that this revision would bring the Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards back to levels deemed technically realistic for currently available gasoline and diesel models. It also indicated that the aim is to keep these requirements in compliance with the limits set by federal law.
Furthermore, the U.S. executive contended that the high manufacturing costs of electric vehicles compel manufacturers to sell them at a loss, prompting them to pass on costs to conventional vehicles.
The CAFE system aims to encourage manufacturers to improve the energy efficiency of their models, specifically the distance traveled using a given amount of fuel. Under the Biden administration, targets had been raised, with an increase of 8% in efficiency required for models produced in 2024 and 2025, followed by a 10% increase for those in 2026. The ambition was to exceed 80 kilometers on 3.78 liters of fuel by 2031.
Last June, the U.S. Department of Transportation deemed these targets unattainable for conventional vehicles, which would effectively accelerate the transition to electric.