Originally posted by Toad
A CAFE of 45?
Let's see... do any car companies in the entire world currently meet that standard?
I suspect not. That may be beyond or technological capabilities planet wide.
CAFE is an American construct, not a world wide standard, which is why you'll see "CAFE-equivalent" when talking about other countries.
Compare the overall average fleet vehicle fuel mileage among U.S., Canada, China, Japan, all the European Union counties, and Australia, and the U.S.of A. comes in dead last with the worst fleet fuel averages.
You can also look to Brazil who uses far more biofuels as a percentage of total use than most countries. China has higher fuel economy standards (since 2003) and are leaning toward diesel fuels as opposed to gasoline as the standard for even better fuel economy (with China, fuel economy is tied with pollution, which is a major concern they are trying to deal with due to it's high medical related costs in it's crowded cities, and not so much about the environment). China is also encouraging the import of hybrids.
Those nations all have higher standards than the U.S. Why are American automotive manufacturers losing large segments of the world vehicle market to everyone else? They can't compete in fuel mileage (and a perception that they are unreliable compared to most).
Don't think for a moment that the U.S. Auto Industry is on the cutting edge of the technology. They are not.
Me: I drive a low mileage, well maintained '03 Toyota Tundra that gets about 20mpg at best, and motorcycles that average 40-50mpg -- unless I'm really flogging it---. Next will probably be a hybrid or diesel car, or trade the Tundra in on a hybrid-powered Tundra if/when they are available in the U.S.
