Energy agency says new car fuel efficiency could double in 20 years with current technology

Two reports released by the International Energy Agency (IEA) show how the right policies and technologies could improve the fuel efficiency of road vehicles by 50% by the middle of the century, saving as much as four-fifths of current annual global oil consumption.
The transport sector currently accounts for a fifth of global final energy consumption, and increased demand from this sector is expected to make up all future growth in oil use worldwide. But there is massive potential for fuel efficiency improvements to reduce demand for transport fuel, and the two reports show how the world could stabilize demand for oil, even if the number of road vehicles (passenger cars, two-wheelers and freight trucks) doubled by 2050.
“Tackling road transport energy use is vital to enhancing energy security and reducing carbon dioxide emissions globally,” IEA Deputy Executive Director Richard Jones, said as he launched the reports. “Conventional combustion engine vehicles are set to be around for a long time and without the right policy mixes, like the ones described in these publications, the demand for energy from road vehicles will be unsustainable.”