Tag: standard

Report: Mulally urges Capitol Hill to adopt national fuel standard

Filed under: Government/Legal, Ford

ford ceo alan mulally

Will there be one fuel standard to rule them all? Ford CEO Alan Mulally certainly hopes so, and he’s letting Washington know. As manufacturers spend time and money pushing to reach established Corporate Average Fuel Economy goals, some states are looking to set their own rules. That could prove to be a tricky – and hugely expensive – proposition for the automakers.

We know we said “some states,” but you all know the one we’re talking about. California is (once again) considering the idea of setting its own average fuel economy rules starting in 2017, and the federal government is (once again) considering letting them. Currently, California and the federal government agree that fleet-wide fuel efficiency will be required to hit 34.1 miles per gallon starting in 2012, a figure that runs through 2016.

As part of a visit to D.C. this week, Mulally told House members and Bill Daley, White House Chief of Staff (among others), that he wants the government to step up and standardize fuel economy and emissions rules, which would prevent states from breaking out their own guidelines.

Mulally urges Capitol Hill to adopt national fuel standard originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 01 Jun 2011 18:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Aging Chevy Impala gets standard 302-hp V6 for 2012

Filed under: Sedan, Chevrolet

2011 Chevrolet Impala

2011 Chevrolet Impala – Click above for high-res image gallery

General Motors has finally come out and said exactly what kind of power the 2012 Chevrolet Impala will bring to the table when it debuts later this year. In February, we heard that the aging full-size four-door will come with a 3.6-liter V6 under the hood mated to a six-speed automatic transmission, though at the time, The General elected to skip handing out any specifics beyond displacement. According to GMInsideNews, the 2012 Impala will pack a full 302 horsepower and 252 pound-feet of torque in standard trim when it touches down.

The 2012 Buick Lacrosse is set to receive the same updated 3.6-liter V6.

Unfortunately, those impressive numbers are to be the sum total of the updates that GM has planned for the Impala. The model has been on sale in its current configuration since 2006 and a full update isn’t scheduled to land until 2014 at the earliest. Still, as GMInsideNews points out, the refreshed six pot gives the 2012 Impala almost as much power as the old Impala SS – not too shabby.

Aging Chevy Impala gets standard 302-hp V6 for 2012 originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 16 May 2011 18:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Entire 2012 BMW motocycle line to come with standard ABS

Filed under: Safety, Motorcycle

BMW K1600 GTL

2012 BMW K 1600 GTL – Click above for high-res image gallery

BMW has announced that the company’s entire line of 2012 motorcycles will come with anti-lock braking systems as standard equipment. The German manufacturer points to research from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety that shows bikes with ABS are 37-percent less likely to be involved in a fatal accident than their non-ABS counterparts. BMW has been a longstanding advocate of the safety system as it helped bring anti-lock technology to the two-wheeled consumer market 23 years ago.

The manufacturer’s 2012 K 1600 GT and K 1600 GTL are loaded with technology and safety kit such as ABS brakes that are designed to keep riders in the saddle and off the tarmac. As you may recall, BMW has fitted the bikes with the industry’s first adaptive headlight, and a new multi-function grip means that riders can access and adjust most of the motorcycles systems without having to remove their hands from the handlebars. Hit the jump for the full press release.

Gallery: 2011 BMW K1600GT and K1600GTL

[Source: BMW]

Continue reading Entire 2012 BMW motocycle line to come with standard ABS

Entire 2012 BMW motocycle line to come with standard ABS originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 19 Apr 2011 16:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EPA issues first-ever fuel efficiency and emissions standard proposal for heavy-duty vehicles

Filed under: Truck, Government/Legal, Work, Specialty, Diesel

semi truck

As expected, the EPA has released its first-ever proposal for greenhouse gas and fuel efficiency standards for heavy-duty vehicles. The proposal, and that’s all it is at this point, would create three new categories for heavy trucks: combination tractors, heavy-duty pickups and vans, and vocational vehicles. The rules will cover on-road vehicles with a gross vehicle weight at or above 8,500 pounds, unless these vehicles are already covered under CAFE. All of these proposals would start with the 2014 model year and make some big improvements relatively soon. The EPA is working with the DOT and NHTSA on the joint standards, which will have two types of metrics.

  • For pick-ups and vans, the metric will be gram per mile (and gallon per 100-miles) based on payload.
  • For vocational vehicles and combination tractors, the standards are gram per ton-mile (and gallon per 1,000 ton-mile).

Each of the three categories has different targets.

  • Combination tractors (commonly known as semi trucks) would get new engine and vehicle standards and, according to the EPA, “achieve up to a 20 percent reduction in carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and fuel consumption by 2018 model year,” compared to a 2010 baseline.
  • Heavy-duty pickup trucks and vans would fall under emissions rules that are similar to the rules that govern light-duty trucks and passenger cars. There would be separate gasoline and diesel standards that would, “achieve up to a 10 percent reduction for gasoline vehicles and 15 percent reduction for diesel vehicles by 2018 model year (12 and 17 percent respectively if accounting for air conditioning leakage).”
  • For vocational vehicles, the proposed standards would reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions up to 10 percent by 2018 model year.

(This post continues after the jump.)

Continue reading EPA issues first-ever fuel efficiency and emissions standard proposal for heavy-duty vehicles

EPA issues first-ever fuel efficiency and emissions standard proposal for heavy-duty vehicles originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 25 Oct 2010 16:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Consumer Federation of America calls for 60 mpg CAFE standard by 2025

Filed under: Etc., Government/Legal, Technology

New EPA suggested window sticker

Now that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and Environmental Protection Agency have established fleet fuel economy standards of 35.5 miles per gallon by 2016, the government agencies are hard at work on the next phase of increases that will stretch out to 2020 and beyond. The 2007 Energy Independence and Security Act mandated 40 mpg by 2020 as a minimum, but the standards could actually be set higher. That’s exactly what the Consumer Federation of America (CFA) and Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) want.

A report from CFA declares that the technology exists to raise fuel economy standards to 60 mpg by 2025 and estimates that doing so would add about $2,600 to the cost of new cars and $3,200 to light trucks. CFA’s analysis indicates that, at the equivalent of $3.50 per gallon in 2025, the payback period for the extra costs would only be five years. While the technology definitely exists to produce 60-mpg vehicles, the real problem is consumer behavior, and most American consumers probably won’t buy the kinds of small cars required to meet those standards at current fuel prices – particularly with that much cost tacked on to their MSRPs.

Hitting 60 mpg while maintaining the size and capability Americans currently buy would doubtlessly cost substantially more. In order to get people to buy such vehicles, critics suggest there will need to be significantly higher prices at the pump. The idea of a revenue-neutral petroleum tax (whereby other taxes would be cut to compensate) that establishes a floor price of at least $4 per gallon could be a good place to start on the way to 40 mpg. Getting people into 60-mpg vehicles would probably require an even higher floor – perhaps $5/gal or more.

[Sources: Green Car Advisor, Consumer Federation of America]

Continue reading Consumer Federation of America calls for 60 mpg CAFE standard by 2025

Consumer Federation of America calls for 60 mpg CAFE standard by 2025 originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 15:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2011 Ford F150 SVT Raptor drops base engine, gets standard 6.2L V8

Filed under: Truck, Ford

Ford 6.2-liter V8 – Click above for high-res image gallery

During Ford’s announcement of the new powertrain lineup for the 2011 F-150 yesterday, we learned that the new 6.2-liter V8 would only be available in the SVT Raptor, Harley-Davidson and F-150 Platinum models. In the Platinum, the 6.2-liter engine will be an option for those who select the maximum towing package.

However, for the Raptor and Harley models, the big 6.2-liter will now be the only engine available. Since the two limited edition machines are considered premium products, Ford has decided that they should only get the most powerful engine that company will offer in its trucks for 2011. That almost certainly means that the base price of the 2011 Raptor will at least match the $3,000 price premium that was charged for the 2010 SVT Raptor with the then-optional 6.2-liter V8.

Gallery: 2011 Ford F-150 engines

2011 Ford F-150 3.5-liter EcoBoost V62011 Ford F-150 3.7-liter V62011 Ford F-150 5.0-liter V82011 Ford F-150 6.2-liter V8

[Source: Ford]

2011 Ford F150 SVT Raptor drops base engine, gets standard 6.2L V8 originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 12 Aug 2010 16:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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