So you’ve heard about those increased CAFÉ standards for cars. The question is “how much are they going to cost?”
CAFÉ standards, that’s Corporate Average Fuel Economy. The congress is now decreeing that in a short while we’re going to have cars that get a whole lot better gas mileage. I think that’s a great thing. The problem is I don’t think the government should be imposing it on people.
How much is it going to cost? Well, the current estimates run from a range of $900 to $1000 at the low end all the way to $10,000 per automobile. That’s a hefty increase in the cost of buying a car and all of it to achieve a few more miles per gallon that’s going to make a minor difference in the amount of gasoline that’s used for personal transportation.
I wish we did it this way instead. Tell the auto industry “produce those high mileage cars and charge the people who want to buy them the appropriate price”. Then if some of us want to buy a slightly lower mileage car at a lower price, we should be afforded that kind of choice too. That’s the American way to get it done.