As they note all the technology to do this is either on the road as we speak or soon will be. 5 yrs is not too short a timeline.

In addition the 35 mpg fleet average is just that the average of all the vehicles. It doesn't mean that every vehicle has to be exactly at 35 mpg. There can be 20-25 mpg trucks for those that need them and 25-30 mpg SUVs and 30+ mpg Crossovers and 35+ mpg midsize autos and 45+ mpg small vehicles and 65+ mpg ultra efficient vehicles.

The oft-quoted rejoinder is that 'Well that's great but what if the buying public only wants our 20-25 mpg vehicles? That's skews the averages downward.' This actually is true and we the buying public are part of the problem. At some point we need a kick in the pants ( where our wallets are located ) to stop buying big gas sucking vehicles. Since we haven't taken the necessary steps the oil producers are doing it for us. If fuel is $5 or $6 a gallon how many fancy 18 mpg big rigs will we the public want to buy?

However to asuage a painful runup in fuel prices Congress should offer us both a carrot and a stick to swap out vehicles. Credits for better efficiency and penalties at time of purchase for gas guzzlers. Offer a Volt buyer a $10000 incentive to buy a 60-90 mpg vehicle or a Next Gen Prius buyer a $6000 incentive. Charge a 18 mpg SUV owner $3000 for the 'right' to pay $6/gal for a vehicle getting 1/5th the fuel economy of the Volt. BTW, for the present there are a lot more 'penalty payers' than 'credit receivers'.

Now the vehicle makers can in good faith say that they are following the market trends by producing more fuel efficient vehicles.

Oh BTW, there is no reason at all for any governmental vehicle now not to be a hybrid or to be run on bio diesel or E85. That should be the first order of business. Lead by example.