Technical Paper
Evaluation of California Greenhouse Gas Standards and Federal Energy Independence and Security Act – Part 1:Impacts on New Vehicle Fuel Economy
2008-05-12
2008-01-1852
Carbon dioxide (CO2) is the primary greenhouse gas emitted by gasoline-powered motor vehicles, and the amount of CO2 emitted depends directly on the amount of gasoline burned by the vehicle. Any reduction in vehicle fuel consumption will also reduce CO2 emissions, and any reduction in CO2 emissions requires a reduction in fuel consumption. In 2004, pursuant to Assembly Bill (AB) 1493, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) adopted greenhouse gas emission standards for new vehicles that would require substantial reductions in CO2 emissions and fuel consumption from light-duty motor vehicles. In December 2007, Congress made significant amendments to the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) program with the passage of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA2007). After the President signed EISA2007 into law, U.S.
