Average fuel efficiency for new cars reaches record high

The average mileage per gallon (mpg) for cars sold in the U.S. is up to 24.8 mpg, up from 23.5 in May 2012. Fuel efficiency for new cars has increased 5.5% since last year, and is up more than 19% since 2007, when the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI) began tracking the average.
UMTRI, whose stated mission is to address major issues of road transportation, looks at the EPA’s fuel economy rating on the window sticker of light-duty vehicles sold for each month. The “average sales-weighted fuel economy” does not track cars manufactured, but cars sold, thus the increasing average reflects consumer demand for more fuel-efficient vehicles.
The news reflects a push by the Obama Administration and auto manufacturers to meet tougher fuel-efficiency standards, according to Michael Sivak, who co-authored the study with Brandon Schoettle.
“There’s an increased demand driven by the price of gasoline and there’s substantial improvement in the technology,” Sivak said.
Electric vehicles, which use an mpg equivalency (mpge) conversion of electricity to gasoline, are reflected in the average. Nearly all vehicle classes are improving on fuel efficiency, and the responsibility for the increase falls on the industry as a whole.
The eco-driving index (EDI), which measures the average monthly greenhouse gases produced by the owner of a new car, has dropped 19% as well. Emissions and fuel use have dropped while distance driven has remained relatively the same. So while Americans have yet to give up their cars, they are willing to be more fuel efficient with them.
In the battle to best each other, some companies in the auto industry have come under fire for overstating mpg.
Recently, the popular Ford C-Max Hybrid crossover and the Ford Fusion Hybrid, both with a class-leading 47 mpg, have come under scrutiny for underperforming. Class action suits against Ford have been filed in three states, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and California, according to Autobloggreen.com, for “false and misleading” claims.
Manufacturers test their own vehicles, typically a preproduction prototype, then report the results to the EPA. The EPA then tests or confirms about 10% to 15% of the vehicles. In the case of alternative fuel vehicles like electrics, the, “EPA has special regulatory provisions that allow [the] EPA to direct manufacturers to test such vehicles using methods specified by [the] EPA.”
Typically the mpg ratings fare on the low side of averages, with many drivers reporting higher mpg than those stated on the label.
It remains to be seen what happens in Ford’s cases. What is definitive is that fuel economy continues to be a priority for the auto industry.
(June 6, 2013)