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1 INTRODUCTION
Pages 12-29

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From page 12... ... ~ . In 1975, in the wake of a petroleum supply interruption, Congress enacted the Energy Policy and Conservation Act.3 That statute required that automotive manufacturers selling cars in the United States increase the corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) Read the entire page →
From page 13... ... Reductions in vehicle weight were accomplished without significant reductions in interior volume (Figures 1-2 and 1-3) by decreasing the exterior dimensions of cars, switching from rear-wheel to front-wheel drive, and using lightweight aluminum and plastic materials. Read the entire page →
From page 14... ... 1990 FIGURE 1-1 Trends in fuel economy for cars and light trucks. NOTE: No standards were set for model years 1978, 1980, and 1981 for light trucks. Read the entire page →
From page 15... ... . NOTE: No standards were set for model years 1978, 1980, and 1981 for light trucks. Read the entire page →
From page 16... ... a) ~1 > 110 90 80 European ~~ ~ ~ '~Asian ~.~ 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1975 1977 1979 1981 1983 1985 1987 1989 1991 Model Year FIGURE 1-3 Trends in average interior volume for passenger cars sold in the United States, 1975-1991. Read the entire page →
From page 17... ... Thus, although gasoline prices in the late 1970s seem to have reinforced consumer interest in improved fuel economy,7 the declining real price of gasoline since 1981 has discouraged further improvements. Indeed, because real fuel costs have declined and in any event have become an increasingly smaller component of the annual cost of vehicle ownership and operation (ORNE, 1991) Read the entire page →
From page 18... ... , it has since increased as technology has allowed significant enhancement of power per unit of displacement (Figure 1-~. The combination of reduced weight and increased power per unit of displacement resulted in improved acceleration performance (shorter acceleration time from 0 to 60 mph) Read the entire page →
From page 19... ... 200 160 a, a) 120 In I 80 40 8-cyl All Cars A ' 4-cyl 74 76 78 80 82 84 Model Year J 3-cyl 86 88 90 92 FIGURE 1-7 Average engine horsepower for passenger cars, 1975-1991. Read the entire page →
From page 20... ... (1991~. 15~ on ~1 3 1= 11 17' ~ ~q 8-cyl 9, 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 74 76 78 80 82 84 86 88 90 92 Model Year FIGURE 1-9 Performance of passenger cars as measured by time to accelerate from O to 60 miles per hour, 1975-1991. Read the entire page →
From page 21... ... Average engine horsepower for light trucks reached a minimum in 1983, but has increased continually thereafter, which is in a direction contrary to improved fuel economy. Moreover, sales of light trucks have grown as a percentage of the lightduty vehicle market -- from 19 percent in 1975 to 33 percent in 1991 (Figure 1-10~. Read the entire page →
From page 22... ... gasoline consumption, 1960-1990 (excluding small amount of diesel fuel used by some light trucks) Read the entire page →
From page 23... ... ~ Improved Environmental Quality. Reduced fuel consumption would reduce emissions of carbon dioxide, thereby reducing the contribution of motor vehicles to the 43Several analysts have argued that the national security and economic benefits from reduced imports should be reflected by pricing oil higher than its market value. Read the entire page →
From page 24... ... The potential costs include the following: � Costs to the Consumer. If the incremental costs of technologies to achieve increased fuel efficiency impose costs to the consumer that cannot be justified by the fuel savings, there is a net economic loss to the consumer. Read the entire page →
From page 25... ... Resources spent on improving fuel economy are unavailable for other activities. Efforts to improve fuel economy standards beyond levels that are economically justifiable would divert resources from other sectors of the economy that might yield gains of greater societal value. Read the entire page →
From page 26... ... � Emissions. Automotive fuel economy improvements watt reduce the quantity of carbon dioxide emitted per vehicle mile traveled and, by reducing the demand for hydrocarbons, will also reduce the hydrocarbon emissions from the entire fuel cycle. Read the entire page →
From page 27... ... At the current level of gasoline prices, consumers do not consider fuel economy an important priority in their decisions to purchase new vehicles. Indeed, as discussed above, consumers are displaying an increasing interest in improved performance and light trucks. Read the entire page →
From page 28... ... 1991. Motor vehicle fuel economy, the forgotten hydrocarbon control strategy. Read the entire page →
From page 29... ... Baltimore, Md.: Johns Hopkins University Press. Motor Vehicle Manufacturers Association. Read the entire page →

From page 12...

... ~ . In 1975, in the wake of a petroleum supply interruption, Congress enacted the Energy Policy and Conservation Act.3 That statute required that automotive manufacturers selling cars in the United States increase the corporate average fuel economy (CAFE)

1 INTRODUCTION Pages 12-29

1 INTRODUCTION
Pages 12-29