EPA Says AutoMakers Could Face 75mpg by 2030

Posted on: April 15th, 2008

As if 35mpg by 2020 wasn’t bad enough, auto makers may have to hit 75mpg by 2030. Margo Oge, director of the Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Transportation and Air Quality, said Monday that that’s the level of fuel-consumption needed to meet a scientific-community proposal to cut emissions by up to 80 percent by 2050 from 2000 levels.

Currently, Congress has mandated an industry-wide average of 35 mpg by 2020, a 40 percent increase over current level requirements.

“There are a lot of strategies you need to consider — both engines and fuels,” Oge said in an interview. Automakers “need to be thinking of those investments for the long term basis,” beyond the energy bill, Oge said.

Worldwide oil use is expected to rise to 120 million barrels a day by 2030, quite an increase from the current average of 85 million. The auto sector accounts for two thirds of U.S.’s oil use.

 

The only way to accomplish that is fully electric cars (and plug-ins). Then we just 'move the problem' to the electric power generation and grid.

 

what problem?

can you say SOLAR!?!?!?

install enough solar panels on your home's roof and you can sell power back to the grid! more than enough to charge an electric car (electric car makers can/should install panels on the hood and roof of cars to assist in the re-charge).

if that's not enough, coal is in abundance and new coal fired plants don't pollute as much as the equivalent number of ICE vehicles it replaces would.

last resort.....build more nuclear powerplants.

all of this means less foreign oil bull**** to deal with.

 

I'm fine with more nuclear power plants. My parents live right by one in South Carolina. Its completely safe.

 

I'm going to miss AMG, M, Quattro, F.

 

by then im sure an alternative power source will surpass petrol engines...

 

wait for the side effects to show up =P

 

This is getting silly. We need to look at our structering of business/homes/entertainment. If you don't HAVE to drive, you won't.

We need to look at mass transit as a serious option and build to make it easy to use.

As long as we have developers who just want to build a 4 lane road with exits all over, the problem will get worse.

I don't have the math but we have more cars on the road than ever. More cars+higher MPG=the same oil usage.

 

 

No worries. It doesn't have to be a V8 petrol to be a blast to drive.

 

Yes, we are moving this to the electrical grid, but imagine how expensive gas will be in 50 years
Hopefully coal technology will get cleaner and more efficient.

 

solar, thermal, wind, hydro

EPA sucks. 75 mpg should have been for 2010!

The US government being *******s and being to nice to people in manufacturing!

 

I also predict that American car makers will be gone too. Who honestly thinks a 75mpg SUV is feasible?

Its gonna be all about small compacts...

 

It just won't be the same. F/I V6 may get the same power as a V8, but you don't get the natural beefiness of a V8, you don't get the noise of a V8, it's just not the same.

I guess I better buy a warehouse and buy as many performance cars as I can.

 

Pretty crazy to expect that... I guess it's still a good ways off so maybe we could get there, but like it's been said, not without electric cars or something. Im sure next week they'll announce the expectations for 2035 - should we starts a poll for that? Im going with 105mpg by then... haha