US Orders Stricter Fuel Goals For Autos
美国计划提高汽车燃油能耗标准
The Obama administration plans to order auto makers to increase the fuel economy of automobiles sold in the U.S. to 35.5 miles per gallon by 2016, four years faster than current federal law requires, people familiar with the matter said.
据知情人士透露，奥巴马政府计划要求汽车生产商在2016年前将在美销售汽车的燃油能耗标准提高至每加仑35.5英里，比目前联邦法律要求的提前了4年。
The move, part of a broader overhaul of fuel-economy rules aimed at cutting greenhouse-gas emissions, would accelerate the largest government-mandated transformation of vehicles on the American road since the late 1970s and early 1980s, when the first federal fuel-economy standards took effect.
此举是为减少温室气体排放而广泛调整能耗标准的一部分，将加快政府强制性汽车升级换代的步伐──这是上世纪70年代末、80年代初美国首个联邦燃油能耗标准生效以来规模最大的一次。
A senior administration official said late Monday that the regulations would save 1.8 billion barrels of oil and reduce emissions of greenhouse gases by 900 million metric tons over the lifetime of the more efficient vehicles, equivalent to taking 177 million cars off the road or shutting down 194 coal-fired power plants. By 2016, if the new rules take effect as planned, new passenger cars sold in the U.S. will have to meet an average mileage requirement of 39 mpg, up from 27.5 mpg currently. Light trucks would have to deliver an average of 30 mpg, compared with about 23 mpg today.
一位政府高级官员周一晚间说，按照新的规定，更为节能的汽车在寿命期内可以节省18亿桶石油、减少9亿吨温室气体的排放，相当于减少1.77亿辆汽车或是关闭194家火电厂。到2016年前，如果新的规定如期生效，在美销售的新轿车必须满足每加仑39英里的平均标准，高于目前的每加仑27.5英里。轻型卡车则必须达到平均每加仑30英里，目前为每加仑23英里。
In practice, the new mileage rules would mean that seven years from now many more cars for sale in the U.S. would be gas-electric hybrids or subcompacts, such as the Honda Motor Co. Fit, outfitted with fuel-stingy engines. A truck capable of averaging 30 miles per gallon probably would be equipped with a gas-electric hybrid or a diesel engine. Even trucks the size of today's Ford Motor Co. Escape do not deliver that fuel economy.
在实施过程中，新的能耗规定意味着，今后7年在美销售的汽车会有更多的油电混合动力车或是装配了低油耗引擎的微型汽车，比如本田汽车(Honda Motor Co.)的飞度(Fit)。每加仑平均能跑30英里的卡车很可能装配油电混合动力系统或是柴油引擎。即便是像福特汽车(Ford Motor Co.)Escape一样大小的卡车也无法实现这个标准。
The technology required to make the cars and trucks able to meet the proposed standard could add $1,300 to the average cost of making a vehicle -- a significant share of the money Detroit's auto makers are trying to save by slashing their union retiree health care costs.
制造满足新标准的小汽车和卡车所需的技术可能会使生产一辆车的平均成本增加1,300美元──这相当于底特律汽车厂商努力通过削减工会退休人员医疗成本而省出来的钱的很大一部分。
Disclosure of the agreement is expected Tuesday, with executives from several large auto companies, including General Motors Corp. Chief Executive Frederick 'Fritz' Henderson, as well as United Auto Workers President Ron Gettelfinger, expected to participate, people familiar with the matter said.
预计协议将于周二公布。知情人士说，预计包括通用汽车(General Motors Corp.)首席执行长韩德胜(Frederick Henderson)在内的数家大型汽车厂商的高管和全美汽车工人联合会(United Auto Workers)总裁格蒂芬格(Ron Gettelfinger)将会到场。
Auto makers tentatively have agreed to drop litigation challenging the legality of state-level curbs on tailpipe greenhouse-gas emissions, people familiar with the matter said. They appear ready to support the more aggressive timetable in exchange for the certainty of a single national fuel-economy standard, instead of a jumble of federal and state standards. The state of California also will agree to accept the proposed federal standards.
知情人士说，汽车生产商已经暂时同意撤消对各州就汽车温室气体排放设置限制的合法性的起诉。它们似乎准备支持政府提出的更加激进的时间表，以换取一个全美统一的燃油能耗标准，而不是诸多混杂的联邦和州标准。加州也将同意接受拟议的联邦标准。
But regulatory certainty by itself doesn't bring market acceptance or technology breakthroughs. Among the risks that auto makers and dealers face is the need to produce and maintain a highly efficient fleet of hybrids, electric cars and advanced gasoline engines at prices that customers can afford.
不过光有监管方面的确定性，并不能让市场接受新的标准或是实现技术上的突破。汽车生产商和经销商面临的风险之一是，他们需要以用户能负担得起的价格生产并维护高能效的混合动力车、电动汽车和先进的汽油引擎。
Auto makers on Monday said they were awaiting more information on how the new standards would be applied and what assistance they may receive to meet the tighter timeline. In the past, for instance, auto makers received credits toward meeting fuel-efficiency standards even when the average efficiency of their vehicles fell short.
汽车生产商周一说，它们正等待获得更多的信息，想知道新的标准如何实施，厂商可能会获得哪些帮助来满足提前的时间表。举例来讲，在过去，即便所产汽车的平均能耗没有达到标准，汽车生产商也可以获得贷款援助以推动实现标准。
The costs of meeting the new standard would be high. The Transportation Department last year estimated that requiring auto makers to achieve 31.6 mpg by 2015 would cost the industry $46.7 billion, among the most expensive rule makings in U.S. history.
满足新标准的成本会很高。美国运输部去年估计，如果要求汽车生产商在2015年前实现每加仑31.6英里的能耗标准，汽车业需要为此耗资467亿美元，这是美国历史上制定的最为昂贵的规定之一。
Stephen Power / Christopher Conkey
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