US fuel-economy goal reportedly set at 34.9 mpg for model year 2031

Changes to credit accounting as well as the target

Ars Technica reports that the US Department of Transportation released a final rule revising Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards. The article says the rule establishes a 34.9 mpg goal for model year 2031, removes emissions credits from model year 2028, and no longer includes plug-in vehicles in an automaker's fleet average.

Ars Technica says the 2020 CAFE rule set a 40.4 mpg requirement for model year 2026. Under the prior treatment described in the article, EVs and plug-in hybrids could be counted in a manufacturer's fleet average with ratings of hundreds of mpg.

According to Ars Technica, the Department of Transportation's final rule sets a 34.9 mpg CAFE goal for model year 2031. It also ends emissions credits from model year 2028 and excludes plug-in vehicles from manufacturers' fleet averages; the rule is described as changing vehicle classification criteria beginning in model year 2030.

The reported rule combines a lower model-year-2031 fuel-economy target with revised accounting for plug-in vehicles and emissions credits, changing the structure of the CAFE program described in the article.