Why are The United States' Emissions Standards so Lax?
The United States has been mentioned on this site as “the best”, “the most powerful” and “the most advanced”, but it is also one other thing, something that people might prefer you to forget. It is unequivocally the most polluting country in the world, which led me to ask, why? If we refer solely to automobiles, the answer is simple: pollution and economy standards and the US desire for bigger is better. Out of all developed countries (the EU, China, Japan etc), the US has the lowest fuel economy standards. Even California, the most actively “green” state, has lower standards than China. Pollution standards are easy for large petrol engines, due to fairly tough NO2 requirements (which petrol engines produce little of) but no limit on the amount of CO2 that is produced, the main cause of global warming, and ironically the thing that California is suing the major auto manufacturers over. The tax system is also lax; in Britain and much of the EU, initial tax rates are calculated on CO2 emissions, and company car tax (the tax an individual pays for having a company car) is based on the same scale. This means that diesel cars, which produce less CO2 and get better MPG than equivalent petrols take up over 50% of car sales across the EU, and in certain vehicles, often larger cars, an even higher percentage is diesel. In the Range Rover, for example, the new TDV8 is expected to take 85% of sales, and the 4.4 litre petrol will be dropped due to complete lack of demand.
For some reason, the US demands bigger engined cars, so while 320i’s and C180k’s are the norm in Europe, only a 325 and C230 will suffice. A member of this site laughed at the 525i, which I found strange, as a 520d is much more common in my country. Smaller cars, while growing in sales recently, do not approach the levels in the EU at all, and while the US’ best selling vehicles are the F-150, the Silverado and the Camry, which are all large vehicles, Britain’s are the Ford Focus, Vauxhall Astra and Vauxhall Corsa, all relatively small vehicles. The Corsa even comes with a 1.1 3 cylinder engine, which would probably be laughed out of the showrooms in the States. The largest vehicle that is in the Top Ten best sellers is the BMW 3 Series, most likely in 318d guise.
But why the lax emissions? Could America’s struggling car companies fail to meet these targets and still salvage their profits? This seems unlikely as Ford and GM all make good vehicles (I’m serious) outside of the US, which are small, clean and efficient. The expense seems the most probably cause. Cars in Europe are much more expensive than the US, and to import them would mean a dramatic rise in prices, and a fall in standard equipment. Americans seem to be perfectly happy with large, cheap, well-equipped vehicles, and prices rises would not be well tolerated. The switch to a smaller engines would not be taken well either, as a V6 or V8 in a pick-up is the norm, the change to a 4 cylinder would certainly be a shock to some people, for whom “there is no replacement for displacement”.
So Americans, you get to keep your cars that represent excellent value for money, with good performance and equipment, but remember, your bargain V8 F-150 or V6 Camry isn’t so good for the environment. And just because your government doesn’t say so, doesn’t mean that Climate Change isn’t happening, and that you can’t do something about it.