More miles, please

Auto-industry architects already rethinking how to retool their fleets for fuel-weary buyers now have another, bigger hurdle to jump.

President Obama gave manufacturers a 2016 deadline to meet an average fuel economy standard of 35.5 miles per gallon (39 mpg for cars; 30 mpg for light trucks). Automobiles emit about 17 percent of U.S. greenhouse-gas emissions, and a 30 percent reduction of those gases is expected as a result of the regulations, reported Reuters.

The administration announced the new policy last week, ending legal wrangling between several states and the industry.

California adopted a policy back in 2005 that exceeded the restrictions of the federal government, and many other states attempted to follow suit, but the efforts were squashed by the Bush administration.