The National Consumers League (NCL) sent a letter to the Senate Environment & Public Works Committee in advance of the hearing on S. 3135, the Cold Weather Diesel Reliability Act. The legislation would grant the Environmental Protection Agency the authority to permit vehicle manufacturers to suspend engine shutdown features on diesel vehicles in extreme cold.
“As families across the country reel from the ongoing affordability crisis, we encourage lawmakers to consider the substantial effect fuel economy features have on alleviating household budgetary pressure, as detailed in our report titled Sticker Shock,” wrote Daniel Greene, the Senior Director of Consumer Protection & Product Safety at NCL. “Compliance with federal fuel economy and safety standards accounts for a small fraction of vehicle expenditures, but it generates thousands of dollars in benefits per household and trillions of dollars in societal benefits.”
The letter notes that equipment upgrades—which include changes in fuel economy, comfort, convenience, durability, nonmandatory safety improvements, and safety standards that first require compliance after 2019—account for only $3,040.20, or 13 percent, of the increase in average expenditures per new passenger vehicle since 2002. Adoption of these fuel economy features has dramatically improved the efficiency of the fleet. Between 2002 and 2024, the real-world miles per gallon (mpg) of new cars rose from 22.8 mpg to 36.6 mpg, a 60.5 percent improvement. Over the same period, the real-world mpg of light trucks increased from 16.5 mpg to 24.6 mpg, a 49.3 percent increase.
“Because of fuel-economy improvements, owners of model year 2024 cars save, on average, $9,099.75 in avoided gasoline expenditures,” the letter continues. “Owners of model year 2024 light trucks save, on average, $9,920.23 in avoided gasoline expenditures.”
A copy of the letter can be found HERE.
