New-car Fuel Economy Essay

Are the new-car fuel economy rules, recently finalized by the Obama administration, more about preserving the environment or are they more about the money? After reading an article written by Brad Tuttle, titled â€Å"How the New MPG Standards Will Affect Drivers, Automakers, Car Dealerships & More,† Time, 30 August 2012, it seems that society cares more about the money aspect then the original, environmental, reasons behind why people wanted more miles to the gallon. These new â€Å"CAFɆ (corporate average fuel economy) standards demand that all new automobiles are made to get at least 54.5 by 2025. An analyst for the car-research site TrueCar.com, has been quoted referring to the new rules as a â€Å"win-win-win for everybody, meaning, a win for consumers, and manufacturers, as well as the environment.† However, it still appears that some will profit more than others. Some have even said that the new regulations actually represent a loss. Some examples of likely effects due to these regulations are following Drivers will have to pay an estimated average of $3,000 more to purchase a new vehicle when fully implemented according to recent studies by the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA). However, this is four times less than what NADA had originally predicted. Still, NADA estimates that approximately 7 million people will not be able to purchase a new vehicle due to the price increase. It’s also been said that â€Å"if this rule suppresses new vehicle sales, achieving the nation’s greenhouse gas and energy security goals will be needlessly delayed.† Presidential candidate Mitt Romney has made it apparent that he does not agree with the new regulations. One of Romney’s spokespeople has even been quoted as describing the regulations as â€Å"extreme,† adding, â€Å"The president tells voters that his regulations will save them thousands of dollars at the bump but always forgets to mention that the savings will be wiped out by having to pay thousands of dollars more upfront for unproven technology that they may not even want†, in a statement to MLive.com. In spite of initial costs for one of these new cars requiring more money upfront, they are da is the only that an improvement of 5 mpg would save over $500 per year for a person who drives an annual total of 15,000 miles. Consumer Reports, claims that while new car prices will increase, this increase would be offset by fuel savings. The government indicates that drivers will save approximately $8,000 over the life of one of these vehicles due to the mandated increase in mpg as opposed to a vehicle driven presently. Currently hybrids and plug-in electric vehicles have the highest overall mpg ratings, and obviously will benefit when the new regulation take hold, however, they’re not the only vehicles likely to experience rising sales. A new tweak to the mpg standards gives extra credits, which can be used to bump up the manufacturers’ overall mpg average, to automakers selling natural-gas-powered vehicles in the U.S. Bloomberg reports that Honda is currently the only automaker selling such vehicles in the U.S. A Honda executive has been quoted saying that the credits make sense, not only because the incentives benefit Honda, but also because â€Å"a dedicated natural gas vehicle reduces CO2 emissions by 25% and petroleum consumption by 100%.† Clean diesel care sales will increase as well. As it is the sales of clean diesel vehicles have already risen more than 25% since the first half of 2012. The Diesel Technology Forum (DTF) issued a statement welcoming these changes – and proclaiming that these vehicles will become more popular thanks to the changes. Allen Schaffer, DTF executive director, has been quoted saying that clean diesel autos are 20-40% more efficient than gasoline vehicles, causing diesel to become a major factor in the nation’s effort to achieve these new standards. V8’s will virtually disappear. Currently, approximately half of new cars have 4-cylinder engines, compared to about one-third in 2007. Many family cars and SUVs are now equipped with 4-cylender engines instead of V6s, similarly, many pickup trucks have also downsized their engines going from V8’s to V6s. High-powered engines that are currently used in muscle cars will become â€Å"as rare as white flies† thanks to the new standards, according to what Chrysler and Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne tells the Detroit Free Press. Cars will continue to get lighter and lighter in weight. Smaller engines aren’t being used just for fuel efficacy now, but also because they’re lighter which allows cars to get by with less power. Some brands are launching major initiatives to drop weight in cars, other than by downsizing engines, with the intentions of improving mpg ratings. Dealerships, automakers, and auto workers will benefit. Recently, drivers are willing to pay more for smaller vehicles, not just due to their superior fuel economy, but also because they come with more options, as well as a â€Å"better overall feel,† compared to even slightly older vehicles. Due to consumers growing interested in small cars, automakers can get away with charging more for them, financially benefiting the automakers. Adam Lee, chairman at Lee Auto Malls of Mane, has been reported saying the changes will help him sell more cars. He also says, with â€Å"absolute confidence,† that his customers want vehicles that go farther on a tank of gas and supports the 54.5 mpg seeing as, according to him, it will â€Å"keep American automakers competitive in the world market, it will keep my customers happy, and it will help me to sell even more cars.† Obviously, workers in the auto industry welcome the changes as well. The changes will bring the need for upgrades, innovations – and more work. â€Å"The manufacturers will be provided with more certainty while planning their investments, and creating jobs in the auto industry while doings so. Due to additional content being placed on the market there will be a greater need for more engineers as well as factory workers. In Brad Tuttle’s precise words, â€Å"um, something or other will happen to help the environment.† Somewhere, lost in the debate about these standards, is one of their main purposes – minimizing our impact on Mother Nature. â€Å"We’re very happy. This is a good rule, a strong rule. This is the biggest step this country’s taken to reduce pollution and our dependence on oil since the original 1970’s,† states Roland Hwang, the transportation director of the Natural Resources Defense Council tells USA Today. Mark Di Vincenzo’s article, â€Å"Why Wednesday Morning is the Best Time to Buy Gas,† in Time, 29 August 2012, is also focused on saving money when it comes to gasoline. Anybody can tell you that gas prices are rising these days. The average cost of a gallon of regular, unleaded gas, nationwide rose from $3.38 on July first, to $3.54 on August second, and again to $3.73 on August 27th. In his article, Di Vincenzo gives tips that most people are unaware of when it comes to financially smart times to fill up. He says there is a best day of the week as well as time of the day to get gas. The best time of day to get gas is in the morning. Everybody’s heard the philosophy of getting gas in the morning because it’s colder, which makes the gas more dense. However, that philosophy is right, but only slightly. The true reason is because often, between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m., owners and managers of gas stations get around to checking out their competitions prices. Odds are, if the manager/owner sees that their competition has raised their prices, they will too, and this tends to be most frequently changed between 10 a.m. and noon. Likewise, Wednesday is usually the best day of the week to buy. Granted it may not be true every week, prices are generally lower then. Closer to weekends and holidays gas prices tend to rise. The prices normally start rising on Thursdays, which is when long weekend trips start, and while many who aren’t going anywhere wait until Friday. As for the old tale’s everybody’s always heard about saving gas by turning off your air conditioner and rolling down your windows, or whether you’re better off leaving your windows up and turning on the air conditioner, it all depends on how fast you’re going. If you’re driving 60mph, or higher, roll up your windows and turn on the air conditioner. However, if you’re driving slower than that you can get better gas mileage by rolling down your windows and turning off the air conditioner. This is due to aerodynamic drag, meaning, the faster you drive the more drag, by simply rolling up your windows you reduce that drag. There’re some other tried-and-true gas-saving tips as well. Avoid gas with ethanol whenever possible, ethanol stores less energy than pure gasoline. Use the cheapest unleaded fuel that your car will run well using. Make sure your tires have the right amount of air. Avoid idling for more than a minute, even if that means having to turn your car off while waiting for a light to turn green. Coast as much as possible, avoiding sudden and abrupt starts and stops. Don’t weigh your car down with things you don’t need, a simple rooftop carrier can reduce you’re gas mileage by up to 15%. Works Cited: Tuttle, Brad. â€Å"How the New MPG Standards Will Affect Drivers, Automakers, Car Dealerships & More.† Time. Http://www.time.com/time/, 30 Aug. 2012. Web. 27 Jan. 2013. Di Vincenzo, Mark. â€Å"Why Wednesday Morning Is the Best Time to Buy Gas.† Time. Http://www.time.com/time/, 29 Aug. 2012. Web. 27 Jan. 2013.