联邦政府对燃油效率的打击今天又牺牲了一个目标。美国交通部发布了新的企业平均燃油经济性（CAFE）标准规则，正如预期那样，该规则扼杀了经济型汽车的理念。其中一项变化是将燃油经济性指标回退到十多年来未见过的水平，甚至低于2020年（特朗普总统上次执政期间）实施的较低标准。新目标仅为2031车型年的34.9英里/加仑。
The federal government’s war on fuel efficiency claimed another victim today. The Department of Transportation released a new rule for the country’s Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards, which, as expected, discourage the very idea of economical vehicles. Among the changes is a rollback to fuel economy numbers not seen in more than a decade, below even the low standards implemented in 2020, the last time President Trump was in power. The new goal is just 34.9 mpg by model year 2031.
这完全在预料之中。肖恩·达菲（Sean Duffy）去年1月就任交通部长后，立即宣布拜登政府制定的任何燃油效率标准都已彻底作废。那些规则虽然提升速度可能不如某些人期望的那样快，但本应要求汽车制造商销售更多电动汽车和插电式混合动力车。
This is nothing if not expected. When Sean Duffy was installed as Transportation secretary last January, he immediately announced that any fuel efficiency standards put in place under the Biden administration were dead and buried. Those rules had a slower ramp up than some might have liked but would have required automakers to sell many more electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids.
现在，我们可能会看到一些原始设备制造商（OEM）完全放弃电动汽车和插电式混合动力车。最终规则通知批评了排放积分的概念，并指责其导致汽车制造商未投资更清洁的发动机技术；从2028车型年开始，此类积分将成为历史。此外，插电式车辆将不再计入汽车制造商的车队平均值；根据旧规则，电动汽车或插电式混合动力车的CAFE评级可达数百英里/加仑。
Now, we may have the possibility of some OEMs dropping their EVs and PHEVs entirely. The notice of final rulemaking criticizes the idea of emissions credits and blames them for automakers not investing in cleaner engine technology, and from model year 2028, such credits are a thing of the past. And plug-in vehicles will now no longer be included in an automaker’s fleet average; under previous rules an EV or PHEV could have a CAFE rating of hundreds of mpg.