The Aluminum Association’s Transportation Group (ATG), Detroit, submitted comments urging the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to pursue data-driven decision making in its final vehicle fuel economy rulemaking, according to an Aluminum Association news release.
ATG's docketed comments are in response to the proposed Safer Affordable Fuel-Efficient (SAFE) Vehicles Rule for passenger cars and light trucks, model years 2021-2026. According to the Aluminum Association's news release, ATG’s comments stress the proven track record of vehicle mass reduction safety, support continued year-over-year fuel economy improvements and call on NHTSA and EPA to maintain One National Program to avoid protracted litigation.
“The agencies rightly recognized greater use of high-strength, low-weight materials—especially in larger cars and trucks—is a safe way to boost fuel economy and cut carbon emissions,” says Heidi Brock, president and CEO of the Aluminum Association, Arlington, Virginia, in the association news release. “However, the draft rule wrongly assumes automakers will reduce weight evenly across vehicle segments, to include the smallest cars. There is no data to support this assumption and a wealth of data and on-the-road examples to support the opposite conclusion.
“We also support the president’s call for a negotiated outcome with California to maintain a single national program and avoid legal battles that will cause uncertainty across the auto industry,” Brock adds. “We strongly agree that all parties must come together to find a workable solution that fosters continual gains in fuel economy and reductions in carbon emissions.”
According to an Aluminum Association news release, the association believes the current footprint-based approach to fuel economy regulations is working. The association says the current approach also creates incentives for automakers to improve fuel economy and reduce carbon emissions by reducing the weight (not the size) of the heaviest and biggest cars and trucks.
The Aluminum Association news release reports that NHTSA’s assertions on lightweighting and safety as related to the small car segment are not supported by NHTSA’s own data, which confirm weight can be reduced safely in more than 95 percent of light trucks and passenger cars to boost miles per gallon, while maintaining or increasing safety. For the remaining 5 percent—very small passenger cars weighing 3,200 pounds or less—there is not data to suggest automakers will be forced (or have reason) to lightweight them under any regulatory scenario and automakers have made no such claims, according to the Aluminum Association news release.
The association also supports an outcome that ensures that California and other aligned states covered by Section 177 of the Clean Air Act continue to stay engaged in the process, to ensure One National Program, whichever proposed standards are ultimately adopted.