skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Tuesday, March 25, 2025

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

White House inadvertently texted top-secret Yemen war plans to journalist; MS egg prices stay high amid industry consolidation; NM native, others remembered on National Medal of Honor Day; IN inches closer to lifesaving law change.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

President Trump credits tariffs for a Hyundai Steel investment in Louisiana, but residents say the governor is betraying them over health concerns there; and other states double down on climate change as the Trump administration rolls back environmental regulations.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Cuts to Medicaid and frozen funding for broadband are both likely to have a negative impact on rural healthcare, which is already struggling. Plus, lawsuits over the mass firing of federal workers have huge implications for public lands.

Survey: NC drivers want carmakers to keep improving fuel efficiency

play audio
Play

Monday, February 3, 2025   

Americans continue to say improved fuel economy is the most significant change they want from vehicle manufacturers when they offer new products.

A new survey from Consumer Reports finds North Carolina drivers are among those who support regulations to push automakers to deliver new vehicles that cost less to fuel and have fewer emissions.

Chris Harto, a senior policy analyst for transportation and energy at Consumer Reports, said new car buyers want the government to keep setting standards for fuel efficiency.

"They want automakers to continue to deliver more efficient vehicles," said Harto. "They don't trust automakers to do that on their own, and they support the government pushing automakers to make sure that they deliver more efficient vehicles with each new generation of vehicles."

Harto said two-thirds of all drivers say fuel efficiency is important. And 64% of those surveyed agreed the government should continue to increase fuel economy standards.

When asked what else they would like improved, car buyers mentioned the purchase price, maintenance costs, "infotainment" systems, and cargo space.

And while electric vehicles account for only a small percentage of overall car ownership, Harto said people are discovering that hybrids or full EV trucks can deliver significant savings over gas-powered cars down the road.

"The increase in price is only about $1,500, but they deliver thousands and thousands of dollars in fuel savings," said Harto. "It comes out to about $5 in fuel savings for every $1 in increased vehicle price, so it's a huge return on investment for consumers."

Harto said calls to slow the pace of converting cars to renewable energy are short-sighted, and could hurt the American automobile industry in the long term.

"Globally, consumers are choosing electric vehicles at greater and greater numbers every year," said Harto. "If the U.S. automakers were to stop investing in this new technology, it really could harm our competitiveness, and harm jobs for American workers."


get more stories like this via email
more stories
The Trump administration is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to reverse a ruling ordering the rehiring of thousands of federal workers, including in the Environmental Protection Agency. (Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

Nearly 100 probationary workers for the Environmental Protection Agency in Chicago have had their jobs cut and then reinstated in the last month…


play sound

As oil and gas well sites pop up next to more Colorado neighborhoods, residents are gathering evidence to hold operators accountable for toxic …

Social Issues

play sound

By Nina B. Elkadi for Sentient.Broadcast version by Trimmel Gomes for Mississippi News Connection reporting for the Sentient-Public News Service …


The Kansas City Area Transportation Authority was established in 1965 to unify regional transit, evolving into today's RideKC system of buses, streetcars and more. (Matthew/Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Kansas City transit riders and workers are fighting proposed cuts, warning of a looming public transit crisis. Hundreds of advocates of the Kansas …

Environment

play sound

Pennsylvania is among the five states projected to be hit hardest if the Inflation Reduction Act is repealed. A report from the think tank Energy …

Fewer than .01% of service members in U.S. military history have been awarded the Medal of Honor. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Tuesday is National Medal of Honor Day, celebrating the thousands of service members since 1861 who have been awarded the country's highest military …

Social Issues

play sound

As today begins National Farmworker Awareness Week, North Carolina boasts the sixth-largest number of farmworkers of any state. More than 150,000 …

Social Issues

play sound

Minnesota's up-and-coming doctors say in order to better care for patients down the road, they need collective bargaining power. A large group of …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021