EMBARQ Fellow Emeritus Lee Schipper discusses fuel efficiency policies in the US, Europe, and Japan. As Americans and the world struggle with high oil prices and climate change, various policies to improve car fuel efficiency have been enacted, and more are being considered in both the United States and Europe. Yet review of recently available data on both on-road fuel economy and new car test fuel economy compiled from each country’s leading authorities shows that the US on-road fuel economy has been flat for almost 15 years, and major European countries and Japan have shown only modest improvements.
Where do we go from here? EMBARQ—The World Resources Institute Center for Sustainable Transport and the Climate and Energy Program of the World Resources Institute offers a special presentation by Dr. Lee Schipper who addresses the following issues: • The new US standards will reduce on road fuel use by 25% by 2035 compared with maintaining the present level of fuel economy. Why will this step alone not be enough to reduce fuel use below its present levels? • By the time the important new US standards have affected every car on the road (2030-2035) the US on road fuel economy will catch up to where Europe is today. Why the lag in the US? • Quick fixes—a higher share of diesel cars in Europe, “flex fuel” in the US—have produced few results and even backfired, leading to higher fuel use. Yet Japan has found a partial solution. What can the United States – and American auto manufacturers – learn from the Japanese? • Since it will take decades to replace all the fuel guzzling cars on the road by new ones that comply with the 2020 standards, how can Americans really reduce their fuel consumption?
Text and photograph for this article courtesy EMBARQ, a partner and Cooperating Organization with dgCommunity Urban Development