EPA
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The EPA plans to maintain current fuel-economy standards through 2025.
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EPA boosts required 2017 ethanol volume above expected level
The EPA increased the amount of ethanol to be blended with gasoline for 2017.
Stephen Edelstein -
Hyundai Ioniq Electric beats Prius Prime, BMW i3 on energy efficiency
The Hyundai Ioniq Electric is now the most energy-efficient car available in the U.S.
Stephen Edelstein -
EPA gas-mileage labels accurate, helpful, unlike 2005: Consumer Reports
Car buyers remain aware that the real-world fuel economy of new vehicles may not match the ratings on their window stickers. The year-old Volkswagen diesel scandal has also shown the vulnerability of laboratory emissions tests to deliberate cheating by manufacturers. But the news isn't entirely...
Stephen Edelstein -
Trump names proud climate-science denier to head EPA transition team
Donald Trump named a proud climate-science denier to head his EPA transition team.
Stephen Edelstein -
EPA reports show automakers meeting fuel-economy, carbon emission rules
Automakers achieved record-high fuel economy for the 2015 model year, according to the EPA.
Stephen Edelstein -
The Volkswagen diesel scandal has had wide-ranging impacts globally, and specific local effects in the U.S. vehicle market. No VW Group brand will sell diesel vehicles in North America again any time soon, and most likely ever—meaning Audi, Volkswagen, and Porsche. But the questions around diesel vehicles have spilled over to other makers as well. DON'T MISS: Buybacks coming for Audi Q7 TDI diesel SUVs: German report Last March, before the worst of the diesel scandal had hit, Audi said it would pull its planned A4 TDI diesel sedan from the lineup even before it was released. Now...
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EPA proposes to add more ethanol blends to 'Flex Fuel' category
An EPA proposal would add more ethanol blends for "flex-fuel" vehicles.
Stephen Edelstein -
At 133 MPGe, Toyota Prius Prime wallops BMW i3 on energy efficiency
Move over, BMW: there's a new efficiency champion in town this year—and you'll have to give back that laurel wreath you've worn since 2014. Last week, final EPA fuel-efficiency results were released for the 2017 Toyota Prius Prime plug-in hybrid. When running in all-electric mode, that car is...
John Voelcker -
EPA's emissions sleuth: the most powerful man you've never heard of
Chris Grundler heads the EPA's Office of Transportation and Air Quality.
Stephen Edelstein -
VW Dieselgate one year later: what have we learned about diesel cars?
It's now a year and eight days since the EPA broke the news that Volkswagen had admitted to including "defeat device" software in almost half a million so-called "clean diesel" vehicles sold in the U.S. from 2009 through 2015. That software detected when the cars were undergoing laboratory tests...
John Voelcker -
Harley-Davidson actually sold emission defeat devices itself; will pay $12 million fine
Harley-Davidson settled with the government over the sale of devices that increase emissions.
Stephen Edelstein -
Car modifiers continue to push for more lenient emissions rules.
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Carmakers asked to extend CAFE comment period; EPA said no
It's probably the battle that will do most to determine the carbon emission from new U.S. vehicles over the next decade. Automakers want to modify, delay, or extend the current corporate average fuel economy standards for 2022 through 2025 vehicles; regulators don't. The mid-July release of the...
John Voelcker -
EPA releases final heavy-truck emissions rules
The Environmental Protection Agency unveiled this week its final rules for reducing emissions from heavy-duty trucks, including semitractor-trailers, buses, and other heavy trucks. The agency said the new rules would cut carbon dioxide emissions by 1.1 billion tons, cut fuel costs by $170 billion...
Aaron Cole -
You'll never know the EPA ratings of heavy-duty pickup trucks: here's why
The EPA doesn't require carmakers to report fuel economy for heavy-duty trucks.
Stephen Edelstein -
How much do electric cars really pollute, even without tailpipes?
Personal automobiles have given hundreds of millions of people the great luxury of a convenient and comfortable mode of transportation. But there's no escaping that manufacturing these vehicles, driving them for 10 years or more, and then disposing of them creates pollution that has a wide range of...
John Briggs -
2017 BMW diesel lineup gets EPA approval for sale
The EPA approved 2017 BMW diesel models for sale last week.
Stephen Edelstein -
The EPA is preparing to draft emissions standards for airplanes.
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Battle over CAFE standards begins now: will they change for 2022-2025?
Two weeks ago today, three federal and state agencies jointly released a "Technical Assessment Report" on how well automakers have done thus far in meeting corporate average fuel economy standards. It concluded that car companies may not quite reach the theoretical goal of an average 54.5 mpg (or...
John Voelcker -
Diesel car sales down in 2016; will there be any in 2017?
A backlog of diesel cars waiting to be tested by federal regulators has delayed several models from going on sale in the U.S. including many from BMW and possibly others from different manufacturers. And the backlog only compounds the problems diesel-powered passenger cars and SUVs face in the...
Aaron Cole -
Why VW killed its TDI diesels in the U.S.: future emission standards
Hell hath no fury like a well-meaning government regulator who's been sneered at and condescended to by executives of one of the world's largest auto companies—only to learn the company has systematically lied to her and deliberately violated the laws she's charged with enforcing. After the...
John Voelcker -
EPA: 2025 target of 54.5 mpg may not be met; SUVs, trucks, cheap gas to blame
A pair of U.S. federal agencies said yesterday that while automakers had complied with the first five years of stricter fuel-efficiency laws, the industry seemed unlikely to meet 2025 targets for improving gas mileage. Rather than hitting the projected 54.5-mpg Corporate Average Fuel...
John Voelcker -
What does VW's diesel-pollution mitigation program actually do?
Last month's settlement proposal to resolve the claims of more than 450,000 owners of VW and Audi 2.0-liter diesel cars contains quite a few separate requirements in its hundreds of pages. As well as buybacks of the affected cars and separate cash payments to owners, it requires Volkswagen to set...
John Voelcker