New EPA rules will help propel the HCV/MCV industry out of the "nuts and bolts" era.

From a technological implementation standpoint, this is a very good time for the Obama administration to implement upgraded standards on fuel efficiency and CO2 in the HCV/MCV market. In the past, this sort of "high-bar" target could have only been achieved through sustained, large-scale mechanical engineering. Technological advances in the passenger fleets along with fuel company re-alignment of priorities (e.g., to protect proven reserve revenue levels) conspire to make this relatively painless to the fleet owner with a nice ROI. The real question is will the OEM's focus on their core competency of building the best vehicle and leverage existing solutions to achieve these targets from an intelligent management approach (IT and Operations) rather than full mechanical re-designs. Link to EPA release: http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/d0cf6618525a9efb85257359003fb69d/9b3706622f4ac560852577c7005ea140!OpenDocument