Trump rolls back Biden-era fuel economy standards, paving way for more gas-powered cars

[progree]

4. And it's just a number -- "Trump also signed legislation this year that ended fuel economy penalties for automakers"

So if there are no penalties for not meeting the numbers, why even bother issuing a new number?

Trump also signed legislation this year that ended fuel economy penalties for automakers, with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) claiming the industry faced no fines dating back to the 2022 model year. Automakers like Tesla make billions by selling emission credits for these penalties, a source of revenue that will now disappear.

Ford (F) CEO Jim Farley, Stellantis (STLA) CEO Antonio Filosa, and other auto industry executives were in attendance.
“Today is a victory for common sense and affordability,” Farley said at the event. “This is the right move … We will invest more in affordable vehicles.”

Uh huh

Trump said the action would allow automakers to produce cheaper cars, saving consumers “[at] least $1,000” off the price of a car.

Which will be eaten up by the cost of higher gasoline consumption, and then some, for the average car that is driven 13,500 miles/year (average mileage per Car & Driver). Even if one doesn't care about the "external" costs like additional greenhouse gasses and other pollutants.

Plus the value-of-time cost of more trips to gas stations.

Link repeated from OP for convenience of reference:
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/trump-rolls-back-biden-era-fuel-economy-standards-paving-way-for-more-gas-powered-cars-212656060.html