The US government should impose a sizeable increase on fuel efficiency requirements for automakers, it was suggested yesterday (9th September).

Officials from the Natural Resources Defence Council (NRDC), the Union of Concerned Scientists, the Sierra Club and many other groups are calling for a 60mpg standard to be imposed by 2025, Reuters reports.

Last year, new regulations dictated that cars and light trucks must be able to achieve 35.5mpg by 2016, which is 42 per cent higher than the current requirements.

The Obama administration is now reviewing those targets and later this month is expected to announce separate proposals for mileage and exhaust emissions for all vehicles sold in the US between 2017 and 2025.

However, automakers have questioned the wisdom of almost doubling the mpg target so quickly, despite the fact that many cars on US roads already meet this requirement.

"We should base policy on science and expert reviews of all the factors, like affordability of technology, availability of low-carbon fuels and the state of the electric imfrastructure," Dave McCurdy, President of the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, told the news provider.

Peter Lehner, Executive Director of the NRDC, admitted in a blog post that the 60mpg target may seem "bold" to automakers, but also countered that it should be "achievable".

Meanwhile, a recent study by Swiss government research lab EMPA suggested that diesel cars are more environmentally friendly than their lithium-ion battery counterparts.

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Groups urge U.S. to set 60 mpg standard by 2025 (09/09/10)

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