Americans Want Cars to get 60 MPG

According to a survey released on May 16, 2011, a solid majority of Americans want vehicles that are much more fuel efficient. The Consumer Federation of America (CFA) said its survey of 2,000 Americans found strong support for a government mandate of 60 miles a gallon by 2025. As reported in USA Today, “Cars would cost more, but respondents said they’d be willing to pay more as long as the higher purchase costs could be recouped in gas savings in 5 years.”

“Concern about volatile gasoline prices and support for higher standards is driven by the huge and rising bite gas expenditures are taking from household budgets—from less than $2000 in 2009 to more than $3000 this year,” said Mark Cooper, CFA’s research director and energy expert in a press release. “Pain at the pump, along with the country’s oil import dependence, has produced a growing consensus that the federal government should substantially increase fuel economy standards.”

CFA received the data from a poll by Opinion Research Corp, which shows that “62 percent of Americans support a federal mandate requiring automakers to meet a 60 mpg standard by 2025, a proposal the Obama administration is considering,” reports the Detroit News. “The fuel efficiency mandate already is scheduled to rise to 35 mpg by 2016 from 27.5 mpg for cars today.”

Government mandates will push automakers towards greener more fuel efficient vehicles like hybrids and fully electric cars. All the major automakers are already launching hybrid vehicles and fully electric cars are sure to follow. According to the CFA study, the general public appears to welcome the move. “We’re talking about changing the trajectory of consumption,” Cooper said. “The consumer is ready.”