Lars Larson on CAFE standards are pricey

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.