When President Obama five years ago proposed to double the CAFE mandate to 54.5 mpg (4.3 L/100 km) by 2025, cheap gas seemed the last thing that would stand in the way.
Skyrocketing oil prices sent the U.S. auto industry into a tailspin in 2008 and hastened the bankruptcies of truck-dependent Chrysler and General Motors.
Since then, U.S. automakers have revamped their portfolios dramatically to include a wide array of fuel-sipping small cars and efficiency-enhancing technologies such as electric and hybrid-electric powertrains, lightweight materials and 8- and 9-speed transmissions. Many more innovations are on the way, including improved EVs, HEVs and even hydrogen-powered fuel-cell vehicles.
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