Report: Obama administration proposes 2025 CAFE of 56.2 mpg

The Obama Administration has reportedly disclosed its CAFE target for 2025, and it's not the 62 miles per gallon that's been discussed in Washington, D.C. for some time now.

According to The Washington Post, the White House is shooting for passenger vehicles and light trucks in the U.S. to average 56.2 miles per gallon by 2025, a level that will slash the nation's oil consumption substantially and increase the cost of each vehicle by an estimated $2,375. The Washington Post says that the White House's ambitious target was first revealed during discussions between automakers and policymakers late last week.

Setting the CAFE standard at 56.2 mpg by 2025 would roughly equate to an annual improvement of five percent over today's guidelines. However, most U.S. automakers were pushing for 47 mpg by 2025, an annual bump of around three percent.

In response to a request for verification, White House spokesman Clark Stevens told The Washington Post that:

We continue to work closely with a broad range of stakeholders to develop an important standard that will save families money and keep the jobs of the future here. A final decision has not been made, and as we have made clear we plan to propose that standard in September.

Official or not, we're intrigued by this report and eagerly wait for your comments.

[Source: The Washington Post | Image: Beige Alert – C.C. License 2.0]