"Cost of U.S. Car Fuel Standards Could Be 40 Percent Lower: Report"

"The cost to implement tough fuel-efficiency standards for cars imposed by the Obama administration for the first half of the next decade could be up to 40 percent lower than previously estimated using existing conventional technologies, according to a report from a nonprofit group released on Wednesday.

If accurate, the report could present a challenge to automakers which have lobbied strongly against the implementation of the standards largely on the grounds of excessive cost.

Technologies like turbo-chargers, advanced transmissions and use of lighter weight materials - such as aluminum instead of steel - could reduce compliance costs by 34 percent to 40 percent per vehicle from 2022 through 2025, according to the report by the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT), an independent research group."

Nick Carey reports for Reuters March 22, 2017.