WASHINGTON, D.C.—The Zero Emission Transportation Association’s Executive Director Albert Gore issued the following statement after the announcement of new Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) today.

“The CAFE program has historically played an important role in improving average fuel economy in vehicles, which directly benefits consumers by lowering transportation costs and enhancing U.S. energy security. Today’s announcement continues that tradition but falls short of realizing the full benefits to consumers and the U.S. economy that advanced powertrains can bring. Electric vehicles, in particular, deliver significant increases in MPGe for car and truck owners. Electricity is produced domestically, supporting more than 7 million jobs across the country. It is also far more price-stable than traditional transportation fuels and more efficient at turning energy into miles traveled. 

“CAFE standards were created in response to the 1973-74 Oil Embargo when fuel economy became an issue of national importance. Automakers responded by redesigning vehicles to be more efficient, and NASCAR set an example in the 1974 season by reducing race distances and adjusting its point system to conserve fuel. We see that same spirit today as U.S. vehicle, battery, charging, and electricity industries are hard at work building out the domestic supply chain and infrastructure to meet the demand of American drivers. To date, more than $173 billion has been committed to the EV supply chain. These are private sector investments that will create American jobs, develop a globally competitive market, and secure American energy independence."

All EVs today average significantly more miles per gallon equivalent (MPGe) than  gas-powered vehicles. While the new NHTSA CAFE standards target 50.4 miles per gallon by model year 2031, the Fueleconomy.gov Top Ten for model year 2024 are all EVs and average more than 122 MPGe.

‍About ZETA

‍The Zero Emission Transportation Association (ZETA) is a federal coalition focused on advocating for 100% EV sales. ZETA is committed to enacting policies that drive EV adoption, create hundreds of thousands of jobs, secure American global EV manufacturing leadership, drastically improve public health, and significantly reduce carbon pollution.