Are weight-based standards a good substitute for the current Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) system?
No. Weight-based standards will create incentives for manufacturers to make vehicles heavier, resulting in increased fuel use. Because weight based fuel economy standards establish lower requirements for heavier vehicles, automakers would have an incentive to add weight to their vehicles and would be able to sell more heavy gas guzzlers. The result would be a decrease in fuel economy and an increase in our oil dependence. Increasing existing light truck standards can achieve the desired safety/fuel economy goal. Simply increasing the standard for light trucks will result in safety benefits similar to or better than those purported to result from weight-based standards. Because saving weight on the heaviest vehicles is a cost effective fuel economy option, the heaviest vehicles are likely to get lighter and the lightest vehicles will stay the same, or even increase in weight and size as it becomes easier for the fleet as a whole to reach the fuel economy target. Click here for more info
