Engineers expect fuel economy standards will get tougher

Engineers expect fuel economy standards will get tougher

A midterm review of the 2025 fuel economy standards will likely bring tougher standards, says a WardsAuto survey of more than 1,300 engineers and designers who work to bring vehicles in compliance. The law requires a corporate average fuel economy (CAF_) of 54.5 mpg by 2025.

A solid 47 percent of respondents expect the review to result in stronger standards, while 24 percent say they will stay the same. Only 8 percent think the regulations will be rolled back. The engineers say it will be quite possible to meet the standards, mostly because of strong technical improvements and automakers willingness to spend money to reach the target.

Technology is proving to deliver what once was thought impossible in terms of power-to-consumption ratios for normal sized vehicles, one engineer said. Lightweighting in systems throughout the vehicle is particularly helpful in meeting the standards, respondents said.