gas mileage

17 Stories

Vehicles Must Hit 40 MPG by 2026 Under New Rules

Rules reverse Trump's rollback, but some environmental groups wanted more

(Newser) - New vehicles sold in the US will have to average at least 40 miles per gallon of gasoline in 2026, up from about 28mpg, under new federal rules unveiled Friday that undo a rollback of standards enacted under President Trump. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said that its new...

Trump Officially Bars California From Setting Fuel Standards

President says the move will result in cheaper, safer cars

(Newser) - As expected , President Trump announced Wednesday that his administration is revoking California's authority to set auto mileage standards stricter than those issued by federal regulators, a move critics said would result in less fuel efficient cars that create more planet-warming pollution. In a series of tweets , Trump said...

California Cuts Its Own Deal With Automakers, Ignoring EPA

Trump administration wants to freeze standards

(Newser) - Four major automakers have reached a deal with California to increase gas mileage and greenhouse gas emissions standards, bypassing the Trump administration's push to freeze requirements at 2021 levels. Ford, BMW, Honda, and Volkswagen signed the deal with the California Air Resources Board, the state's air pollution regulator,...

Obama's Tougher Gas Mileage Rules May Be Going Away

EPA will re-examine standards put in place at 11th hour

(Newser) - President Trump on Wednesday is making a move seen as good news for the auto industry and bad news for environmental advocates. In a visit to Detroit, the president will direct the EPA to re-examine fuel efficiency standards put in place by the Obama administration just before Trump took office,...

Why Prius Drivers Are So 'Bad'
 Why Prius Drivers Are So 'Bad' 
opinion

Why Prius Drivers Are So 'Bad'

How an annoyed driver became 'annoying' himself

(Newser) - Annoyed by Prius drivers who coast up to intersections and cruise at 55mph on the freeway? So was Dwight Silverman, until he found himself driving the exact same way in his wife's Prius. "Indeed I do" become an annoying driver, he writes in the Houston Chronicle . "But...

Consumer Reports Slams Ford Hybrids' Mileage

Test finds huge gap between EPA estimates and real figure

(Newser) - If the 47mpg rating on Ford's 2013 Fusion and C-Max models sounds too good to be true, well, there's a reason for that. The two hybrids perform drastically worse than advertised, Consumer Reports has concluded, clocking their actual performance at 39 mpg for the Fusion and 37 mpg...

New US Fuel Standards: 54.5 MPG by 2025

Obama hails new goal with automakers

(Newser) - Announcing new fuel-efficiency standards, President Obama hailed his administration’s deal with automakers as “the single most important step we’ve ever taken as a nation to reduce our dependence on foreign oil.” With mileage standards almost doubling, Americans will save some $8,000 per vehicle on fuel,...

700K Cars Sold Under Clunkers

(Newser) - The final numbers for the Cash for Clunkers are in, and they’re pretty rosy, the Los Angeles Times reports. Dealers had until yesterday to file for rebates, and the total was 690,114 new cars sold—and 690,114 clunkers traded in—for a total of $2.9 billion,...

Pry My Clunker From 'My Cold, Dead Fingertips'
Pry My Clunker From 'My Cold, Dead Fingertips'
OPINION

Pry My Clunker From 'My Cold, Dead Fingertips'

(Newser) - Some cars’ gas mileage is good enough to make them ineligible for the cash-for-clunkers program—but that’s not the only reason David Holahan doesn’t want to turn in his old rides. “I’m all for stimulating the economy, cleaning air, and improving fuel economy,” he writes...

GM Announces Plug-In Hybrid SUV

Buick model could get twice the mileage of similar automobiles

(Newser) - General Motors’ Buick brand will churn out the first plug-in hybrid SUV by a leading automaker, the company said today. “Buick will get our first plug-in hybrid, which will put the brand front and center in the advanced technology game,” said a GM exec. The company says the...

'Cash for Clunkers' Can't Beat Buying Used
 'Cash for Clunkers' 
 Can't Beat Buying Used 
ANALYSIS

'Cash for Clunkers' Can't Beat Buying Used

(Newser) - The government’s Car Allowance Rebate System—the “Cash for Clunkers” plan—goes into effect today, but it might not be such a good deal for you or the environment, Elisabeth Leamy and Nathalie Tadena write for ABC News. New-car buyers who trade up more than 4mpg in mileage...

Hybrid Owners Have More Accidents, Get More Tickets

Environmentally-conscious motorists also drive more, study says

(Newser) - Owners of hybrid vehicles tend to drive more, have higher repair bills, and get more tickets than their gas-guzzling counterparts, the Car Connection reports. A study of the behavior of 360,000 motorists found insurers pay 17% more for comprehensive coverage of hybrid owners compared to owners of conventional models....

Tire Gauge Joke Is on GOP, Not Obama
Tire Gauge Joke Is on GOP,
Not Obama
Opinion

Tire Gauge Joke Is on GOP, Not Obama

Gag ignores hard facts of energy dependence, vehicle maintenance

(Newser) - Republicans are laughing at Barack Obama’s suggestion that if Americans drove on properly inflated tires and had their vehicles tuned up regularly, they could save as much gas as offshore drilling would produce. The RNC is distributing tire gauges labeled “Barack Obama’s Energy Plan” and cackling with...

Team McCain Giving Out Tire Gauges to Mock Obama

Negative gag slams Democrat's energy plan

(Newser) - John McCain’s campaign debuted another Barack Obama gag today as aides distributed tire gauges labeled “Obama Energy Plan” to reporters and donors, Politico reports. The campaign is mocking the Democrat’s suggestion that motorists increase gas mileage by keeping their tires full. The Obama campaign responded by pointing...

Fiat 500: Mini Package, Max Charisma
 Fiat 500:
 Mini Package,
 Max Charisma 
PRODUCT REVIEW

Fiat 500: Mini Package, Max Charisma

A sexy and economical European delight that's fun to drive and cheap to operate

(Newser) - Add adorable to 40-plus miles per gallon and you get the Fiat 500, an Italian compact that, despite taking a while to go from 0 to 60, brings a new sweetness to the term eye candy, Dan Neil writes in the Los Angeles Times: "It's fun to look at,...

Hybrid Owners Put the Pedal to Fuel Efficiency

Prius' real-time feedback alters driving habits to max MPGs

(Newser) - Leaving the bad old days of drag-racing in the dust, greenies are now engaging in their own race for fuel efficiency, reports the Washington Post. With hybrid vehicles such as the Toyota Prius giving up-to-the-second feedback on just how much gas passing that little old lady in the right lane...

US Can Drive 55—and Should, Greens Say

Call to lower limit claims better mileage, lower emissions

(Newser) - Escalating fuel prices and fear of global warming are rekindling debate over the nation's maximum speed limit—and environmentalists are urging Congress to slow the US back down to 55 mph, Wired reports. Advocates say going back to the speed limit set during the oil crunch of the 1970s will...

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