Honda speaks out on CAFE regulations concerning clean vehicles

Regulators will be reviewing CAFE standards soon

A review of the United States’ Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) regulations is coming up and automakers are offering their opinions on the matter. The CAFE regulations were introduced in 1975 and they work to improve the average fuel economy of various vehicles throughout the U.S. Many automakers support the regulations but these regulations may be falling short of supporting clean vehicles, such as those powered by batteries or hydrogen fuel cells. Honda is one of the companies that believes that this is the case.

Clean vehicles may not be getting enough attention

According to Honda, fuel economy and emissions regulations being planned between now and 2050 are not taking into account clean vehicles. Those creating these regulations may even be ignoring hybrid vehicles when it comes to establishing fuel economy standards. This may be due to regulators working to create technology neutral solutions for cleaner transportation. In some states, new regulations are being introduced to ensure that zero emission vehicles are sold.

Government agencies work to create new set of regulations for clean vehicles

The Environmental Protection Agency and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration are working on the technology neutral standards. These regulations are focused specifically on lowering fuel consumption and reducing carbon emissions. The California Air Resources Board is creating another set of regulations that mandate the sale of zero emissions vehicles. This set of regulations specifically highlights hydrogen fuel cells and battery electric vehicles. These particular regulations have gained praise from automakers, especially those developing new vehicles, because they will help promote clean vehicles.

Changing regulations could have an impact on some automakers

Regulations must be fine-tuned because they can have a major financial impact on automakers. Honda believes that clean vehicles should be shown more attention by regulators, especially as many states begin to aggressively encourage the adoption of such vehicles. Automakers are often able to provide insight that can help form new regulations in the United States, but how the CAFE regulations change after the upcoming review is currently uncertain.