Tesla Presses Its Case on Fuel Standards
Tougher fuel-economy targets could benefit the electric-car maker, while posing a challenge for rivals
Auto makers have been laying the groundwork to seek relief from U.S. regulators on lofty fuel-economy targets. But Tesla Motors Inc. is rowing in the opposite direction, saying it wants to make the rules even tougher.
The Silicon Valley electric-car maker is preparing to make a public case this week for leaving mileage and emissions regulations intact, or making them even more stringent, a Tesla executive said. The company also will fight to keep other auto makers from loosening regulations in California, which has more ambitious targets than the federal government.
U.S. fuel-economy targets call for manufacturers to sell vehicles averaging 54.5 miles a gallon by 2025.
Tougher regulations could benefit Tesla, while challenging other auto makers that make bigger profits on higher-margin trucks and sport-utility vehicles.HT to and headline from The Street.com.
Tesla’s vice president of development, Dairmuid O’Connell, plans to argue to auto executives and other industry experts attending a conferenceon the northern tip of Michigan that car companies can meet regulations as currently written.
“We are about to hear a lot of rhetoric that Americans don’t want to buy electric vehicles,” Mr. O’Connell said in an interview ahead of a Tuesday presentation in Traverse City, Mich. “From an empirical standpoint, the [regulations] are very weak, eminently achievable and the only thing missing is the will to put compelling products on the road.”
The presentation likely will further Tesla’s reputation as industry agitator, a role often taken on by founder Elon Musk, who rankles rivals with proclamations about their apparent lack of progress in building viable electric vehicles. It also will mark a significant departure from other auto makers that historically have tried to soften fuel-economy regulations.
The industry typically has agreed to tougher standards under political pressure and only after thorough negotiations. In Detroit earlier this year, Mr. Musk urged auto makers to continue advancing electric vehicles amid falling oil prices, even while disclosing his company likely won’t be profitable until 2020....MORE
See also the post immediately above: "California Has a Plan to End the Auto Industry as We Know It".
