From YahooNews:
President Barack Obama has announced a new fuel and emission standard that he says will, at last, put the United States on the road to a cleaner environment and better fuel efficiency.
Surrounded by leading members of Congress, the industry and the auto workers union, Obama said: "The goal is to set one national standard." The plan the administration revealed Tuesday would be aimed at saving billions of barrels of oil, although it also is expected to cost consumers an additional $1,300 per vehicle by 2016.
Obama agreed that "it costs money to build these vehicles." But he also stressed that "the cost of driving these vehicles will go down as drivers save money at the pump."
According to my calculations, an additional $1,300 up from investment would require savings of $15 to $17* a month to break even over an 8 year life of a car. At current gas prices, that's 6-7 gallons of gas per month. Worth it?
*at 3% or 7% annual interest rates
