Regulation of the miles per gallon range affects car manufacturers, motivating them to invest in innovating their engines, and develop fuel-efficient cars. The consumers benefit as well because they pay less for gas on a daily basis. However, there is a larger context to the government-imposed regulations on miles per gallon range, which are connected to global warming and pollution produced by these vehicles. Cars are a form of transport that more than ninety percent of households in the United States use. These numbers have been rising ever since Ford’s Model T was introduced, contributing to air pollution and CO2 emissions, prompting the government to introduce miles per gallon regulations.
The initiative to mandate the minimal miles per gallon range for vehicles was started by the administration of President Obama. This should have addressed several problems, including climate change and pollution that was a result of an increasing number of cars on the roads of American cities (“Challenging Obama-Era Fuel Economy Standard”). The ambitious project would increase the mileage standards each year until 2025 when the miles per gallon should have been set at 50, but the initiative was canceled by President Trump. The issue with the present system is that in 2014 this metric averaged at 21 miles per gallon, suggesting a need for a substantial development of engine technology to reach the objective of 50 miles per gallon in 2025 (Meyer). However, the continuation of President Obama’s initiative would allow millions of Americans to use their cars safely without affecting the environment. The Federal Government should require that all cars and trucks sold in America get a minimum of 50 miles per gallon by 2025.
Most developed states, including the United States, have regulations where a minimum number of miles per hour is indicated. Policymakers and researchers use the term “fuel economy” to describe the distance a vehicle can travel as opposed to the number of gallons it uses (Meyer). The development of fuel economy has two main reasons – the increasing cost of petroleum due to political and economic reasons and environmental concerns.
Every vehicle that uses petroleum or diesel fuel pollutes the atmosphere because its engine produces CO2. This gas is harmful because of the greenhouse effect that causes the surface of the planet to become more heated than it should be natural, and since the first mileage regulations were introduced in 2004, the CO2 emissions decreased by 20% (“Highlights Of The Automotive Trends Report”). Such pollution is considered to be one of the main causes of climate change, which is now a global concern that may lead to cataclysms. Considering the fact that according to the 2020 statistics, about 95% of households in the United States own a car, the issue is complex and requires state-wide action (Chase). Hence, the ownership of cars and the impact that it has is an important nationwide question that should be addressed through governmental regulations targeting fuel efficiency.
The main reason for an urgent need to have more fuel-efficient cars is air pollution. Fuel-inefficient cars promote global warming, and according to Meyer, “more fuel-efficient vehicles release less carbon-dioxide pollution.” The implementation of the 50 miles per gallon regulation is the easiest way to address this problem since car manufacturers have shown that they can improve their technology in the previous years. Other options, such as banning car use based on specified criteria or promoting the use of electric vehicles, are less viable because they will affect the lives of millions, relying on cars as the primary transportation method.
Another problem is the trend for the decreasing mileage per gallon range that persisted since the introduction of Ford Model T, which also contributes to pollution. According to Meyer, Model T would average at 25 miles per gallon, while vehicles that were developed after it, for example, those introduced in 1973 averaged only 12 miles per gallon. Such a development is connected to a desire for manufacturing bigger and more powerful cars, which, as a result, requires more fuel to function. A small mileage per gallon is not economically viable for the car owners, but they are unable to address this issue directly, apart from choosing to buy a car that is fuel-efficient, if such an option is available on the market—moreover, this excessive use of petroleum, leading to the depletion of this finite resource. The miles per gallon statistics of 1973 suggest that car manufacturers will not take the initiative of caring for the environment unless they are required to do so by the government’s regulations, although some states use different strategies.
Some European countries choose other approaches to minimize the pollution caused by cars. For example, in some city centers, there are schedules that indicate which cars can enter the area, usually based on the day of the week and number plate of the vehicle. Bendix states that some large cities, for example, Madrid or Paris, banned cars and introduce programs that encourage cycling. Others plan on banning vehicles that run on gas, allowing only electric cars. The main aim is to reduce pollution and decrease the heavy traffic, which makes these cities difficult to navigate and pollute the air. Plumer and Popovich state that in comparison, the European miles per gallon standards are much stricter in comparison to those in the United States, and the government aims to continue making them even more strict since these standards show a positive impact on the emission levels. The policies introduced by the mayors of some European cities are intense, but they demonstrate the urgency and a need to address the problem of pollution immediately though governmental regulation. The discussed strategy of 50 miles per gallon would make this issue concern for manufacturers and not car-owners.
If the government imposes the requirement for vehicles to average 50 miles per gallon, the manufacturers will have to invest in developing this technology, which otherwise would not be introduced. From 1990 till 2007, the miles per gallon ration of vehicles sold in the United States improved only by 0.4 mpg (Meyer). During this time, no specific regulations regarding emissions and mileage existed, meaning that manufacturers had no stimulus for working on the improvement of their cars. Therefore, considering the other benefits of reduced petroleum use, governmental regulations will stimulate innovation and development, which will be beneficial for the environment and car-users.
The current administration decided to postpone the gradual increase in fuel economy standards. According to Meyer, President Trump decided to pause this project in 2020, and it is unclear how the administration aims to address the issue of mileage per gallon in the future. There are some arguments that explain this decision and why this type of regulation may be unnecessary, including the initiative of manufacturers to improve their engines and the increasing popularity of electric cars.
The car manufacturers continuously work on improving their engines and decreasing pollution. Hence there is no need for government regulations. The strategy is connected to a need for introducing new car models with improvements and a trend for fuel-efficient cars that consumers promote (“Highlights Of The Automotive Trends Report”). From this point of view, additional federal regulations would be an unnecessary use of resources since the manufacturers would improve their standards. However, without the proposed changes, it is unclear how long it will take to achieve the 50 miles per gallon standard in the industry, and the pollution and climate change are urgent problems that need to be addressed.
Electric cars will soon replace petrol or diesel vehicles, and policymakers should focus on issues that are more urgent. The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy suggests that such cars produce less direct and lifecycle editions when compared to conventional vehicles (“Reducing Pollution with Electric Vehicles”). This means that electric cars do not pollute the air on a daily basis, but also the process of manufacturing energy to power them is less damaging to the environment. Hence, it appears that it is more beneficial to focus on a regulation that would ban the use of conventional cars altogether and allow using only electric cars.
Companies such as Tesla continuously work on introducing new cars, including commercial vehicles that will use electricity and produce no pollution or danger to the environment. However, electric cars are expensive in comparison to petrol vehicles, meaning that most people will choose to have a traditional car. In addition, the technology is still in development, and electric cars cannot offer all of the benefits of petrol cars, such as milage or infrastructure.
The imperfections associated with electric cars mean that for the next years people will favor petrol and diesel cars. Therefore, the pollution of the atmosphere will continue to endanger the environment unless the Federal Government chooses to address this problem immediately. Therefore, people who travel a lot or those using cars for long-distance trips are not going to use electric cars until the infrastructure allows regarding the vehicle when necessary or until the batteries are improved (Calma). Moreover, the technology of recharging is imperfect, because it takes hours to charge the battery as opposed to minutes one has to dedicate to refuel a traditional engine (Edelstein). While in the future, it is possible that the government will develop a regulation favoring electric cars, the current state of technology does not make this option viable.
To conclude, the Federal Government should enhance the existing fuel economy regulations and increase the minimum distance per gallon to 50 miles. The initiative was first introduced by President Obama, but President Trump decided to postpone the implementation of this regulation. The main issue with a lack of legal requirements for the mileage per gallon is a large number of cars in the United States, their contribution to air pollution, and the history of decreasing mileage per gallon. The opposition to this regulation may suggest that it is better to focus on electric cars than imposing restrictions on manufacturing conventional vehicles. However, the technology of electric cars is not well-developed and cannot satisfy the needs of car users. Therefore, the best option is to ensure that manufacturers continue improving petrol engines to reduce the negative impact of CO2.
Works Cited
- “Challenging Obama-Era Fuel Economy Standards: A Discussion With Professor Deborah Sivas and Ben Degolia.” Stanford Law School.
- Chase, Robin. “Does Every American Own a Car?” US Department of State.
- Edelstein, Stephen. “Here’s The Problem with Electric Cars.” Motor Authority. Web.
- Calma, Justine. “The Electric Vehicle Industry Needs to Figure Out its Battery Problem.”. The Verge, 2019. Web.
- “Highlights of the Automotive Trends Report.” US EPA, 2016. Web.
- Meyer, Robinson. “How the Carmakers Trumped Themselves.” The Atlantic, 2018. Web.
- Plumer, Brad, and Nadja Popovich. “How U.S. Fuel Economy Standards Compare with the Rest of The World’S.” NYTimes, 2018. Web.
- “Reducing Pollution with Electric Vehicles.” Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Web.