Now that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and Environmental Protection Agency have established fleet fuel economy standards of 35.5 miles per gallon by 2016, the government agencies are hard at work on the next phase of increases that will stretch out to 2020 and beyond. The 2007 Energy Independence and Security Act mandated 40 mpg by 2020 as a minimum, but the st
America's CAFE standards will climb to 35.5 mpg (42 mpg for cars, 26 mpg for light trucks) by 2016, thanks to the Obama Administration declaring not long after taking power how conflicting national and state (well, California) standards would be turned into one set or rules. But what comes after 2016? The
Not even an "E" for effort? Apparently not. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has a website called SaferCar, where you can sign up to get email alerts about new vehicle recalls as they come in. You simply tell NHTSA all about your car and if a recall notice is issued, they ping your email, cell phone, PDA or RSS reader. At least that's the theory. Consumer advocate groups like the Consumer Federation of America and the Center for Au
A consumer group, citing a new study that shows 9 of 13 automakers have CAFE numbers lower than 10 years ago, is calling on Congress for mandatory fuel-economy standards. The Consumer Federation of America showed off its new 13-page report titled, "Stuck in Neutral: America's Failure to Improve Vehicle Fuel Efficiency." It said the lack of improvement is a result of a shift in consumer tastes for trucks and SUVs. But the group also noted that consumers aren't properly informed about fuel-efficie
