If 35 MPG Isn't Good Enough for You Then Wait Until 2025

After successfully getting the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) level to 35.5 miles per gallon in 2016, the Obama administration is working to push the fleet average to over 56 MPG in 2025, about double what it is now.

Wow. Even the Prius doesn't hit that and we're talking the average of all the vehicles that a car maker sells would have to be that. And that means the numbers would have to increase by about 5% a year after 2016. That also seems incredible when you consider that squeezing a couple of percentage points now is requiring auto makes to adopt radical new technologies like start/stop and electric hybrid.

But, I was going to point out that the Volt gets 93 MPG today, but I can't read it's EPA sticker.

Finally, by 2025, the fuel economy levels in Europe and Japan will be even higher than 56 MPG, so its not like car companies won't already be making super efficient vehicles for other markets.

Still, it does seem like the government is pushing for something that may not jibe with what the market will want. What if something in the energy market changes and giant fuel-guzzling vehicles become reasonable and desirable. Would it make sense for the government to mandate an out-of-touch economy rate?