49 U.S.C. § 32901 — Definitions

(a) General. (1) "Alternative fuel" means (A) methanol; (B) denatured ethanol; (C) other alcohols; (D) — except as subsection (b) allows — a blend that is at least 85 percent methanol, denatured ethanol, and other alcohols combined with gasoline or other fuels; (E) natural gas; (F) liquefied petroleum gas; (G) hydrogen; (H) coal-derived liquid fuels; (I) fuels (other than alcohol) made from biological material; (J) electricity, including solar-generated electricity; and (K) any other fuel the Secretary of Transportation names by regulation that isn't mostly petroleum and would meaningfully help energy security and the environment.

(2) An "alternative fueled automobile" is either a dedicated automobile or a dual fueled automobile.

(3) Except as section 32908 provides, an "automobile" is a 4-wheeled vehicle powered by fuel or alternative fuel, built mainly for public roads, and rated under 10,000 pounds gross vehicle weight — except (A) a vehicle that only runs on rails, (B) a vehicle built in stages by 2 or more manufacturers, if no single stage-manufacturer makes more than 10,000 such vehicles a year, or (C) a work truck.

(4) "Automobile manufactured by a manufacturer" includes every automobile made by anyone the manufacturer controls, is controlled by, or shares common control with — but not one that's exported within 30 days after the model year it was made in ends.

(5) "Average fuel economy" means the average fuel economy figured out under section 32904.

(6) An "average fuel economy standard" is a performance rule setting the minimum average fuel economy a manufacturer must hit in a model year.

(7) A "commercial medium- and heavy-duty on-highway vehicle" is an on-highway vehicle rated at 10,000 pounds or more.

(8) A "dedicated automobile" runs only on alternative fuel.

(9) A "dual fueled automobile" is one that (A) can run on alternative fuel, or on a mix of biodiesel and diesel fuel meeting the ASTM or Clean Air Act standard for 20-percent-biodiesel fuel ("B20"), and can also run on gasoline or diesel; (B) gets equal or better energy efficiency — measured during official fuel economy testing — running on alternative fuel as it does on gasoline or diesel; (C) for model years 1993 through 1995 (and longer, if the EPA Administrator extends it, up to the last model year section 32905(b) and (d) applies to), if it runs on a 50/50 mix of alternative fuel and gasoline or diesel, gets equal or better efficiency on that mix as on gasoline or diesel alone; and (D) if it's a passenger automobile, meets the minimum driving range set under subsection (c).

(10) "Fuel" means (A) gasoline, (B) diesel oil, or (C) any other liquid or gas fuel the Secretary decides by regulation to add to this list, consistent with the country's need to conserve energy.

(11) "Fuel economy" is the average number of miles an automobile travels per gallon of gasoline (or the equivalent amount of another fuel), as the EPA Administrator determines under section 32904(c).

(12) "Import" means to bring into the U.S. customs territory.

(13) "Manufacture" — except under section 32902(d) — means to build or assemble something inside U.S. customs territory, or to import it.

(14) A "manufacturer" is (A) anyone in the business of making automobiles, including a predecessor or successor company as the Secretary's regulations define it, and (B) if more than one person qualifies, whichever one the Secretary's regulations name.

(15) A "model" is a class of automobiles the EPA Administrator defines by regulation, after consulting and coordinating with the Secretary.

(16) A "model year" tied to a calendar year means (A) the manufacturer's yearly production period that includes January 1 of that year, as the Administrator decides, or (B) that calendar year itself, if the manufacturer has no set production period.

(17) A "non-passenger automobile" is any automobile that isn't a passenger automobile or a work truck.

(18) A "passenger automobile" is one the Secretary decides by regulation is built mainly to carry 10 people or fewer — except for an off-highway-capable automobile the Secretary decides (A) has a real off-highway design feature (other than 4-wheel drive), and (B) is either 4-wheel drive or rated above 6,000 pounds.

(19) A "work truck" is a vehicle that (A) is rated between 8,500 and 10,000 pounds, and (B) isn't a "medium-duty passenger vehicle" as EPA regulations defined that term when the Ten-in-Ten Fuel Economy Act was enacted.

(b) Authority to change percentage. The Secretary may lower the 85-percent figure in (a)(1)(D) — but not below 70 percent — to account for cold-start needs, safety, or how the vehicle functions.

(c) Minimum driving ranges for dual fueled passenger automobiles. (1) The Secretary must set, by regulation, the minimum distance a dual fueled passenger automobile must be able to travel on alternative fuel to count as a dual fueled automobile under sections 32905 and 32906. This distance is measured using the same combined city/highway fuel economy figure used for average fuel economy purposes. (2)(A) The Secretary may set a lower minimum range for a specific model, and a manufacturer may ask for one. (B) Except for electric automobiles, that minimum range — whether set generally under paragraph (1) or specially under subparagraph (A) — must be at least 200 miles. But starting with model year 2016, vehicles running on the fuel described in (a)(1)(E) — natural gas — need only meet a 150-mile minimum. (C) If the Secretary sets the general minimum at exactly 200 miles for non-electric dual fueled automobiles, then subparagraph (A)'s lower-range option no longer applies to them. Likewise, starting with model year 2016, if the Secretary sets the minimum at exactly 150 miles for vehicles using the fuel in (a)(1)(E), subparagraph (A) no longer applies to them either. (3) In setting or adjusting this minimum range, the Secretary must weigh the purpose stated in section 3 of the Alternative Motor Fuels Act of 1988, along with consumer acceptance, economic practicality, technology, environmental impact, safety, drivability, performance, and any other relevant factor.