Follow this blog:
RSS

U.S. fuel economy hits all-time high

By | February 7, 2013, 11:29 AM PST

Fuel economy for new cars, SUVs, vans, and pickup trucks sold last month in the United States reached 24.5 miles per gallon, an all-time high since researchers began gathering the data in 2007.

The University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute, which publishes the data monthly, has seen the average fuel economy (measured by the window sticker ratings) of new light-duty vehicles sold gradually rise since 2007:

“The recent improvement reflects the improved fuel economy of the 2013 model year vehicles,” University of Michigan researcher Brandon Schoettle said in a news release.

That’s a good sign not only for sustainability, but also for automakers that are working at making cars more fuel efficient to meet the Obama administration’s ambitious average fuel economy requirement of 54.5 mpg for all new cars and light trucks by 2025.

Image: UMTRI

Start your week smarter with our weekly e-mail newsletter. It's your cheat sheet for good ideas. Get it.

Tyler Falk

About Tyler Falk

Tyler Falk is a contributing editor for SmartPlanet.

Tyler Falk

Tyler Falk

Contributing Editor

Tyler Falk freelance journalist based in Washington, D.C. Previously, he was with Smart Growth America and Grist. He holds a degree from Goshen College.

Follow him on Twitter.

Tyler Falk

Tyler Falk

Tyler does not have financial holdings that would influence how or what he covers.

He writes for SmartPlanet and is not an employee of CBS.

If you liked this, don't miss...
17
Comments

Join the conversation!

Follow via:
RSS
+1 Vote
+ -
Whoop de do
Call me when the average hits 40mpg. 25mpg is nothing to cheer about these days
Posted by jonrosen
8th Feb
+1 Vote
+ -
40 mpg average is unrealistic
Many people NEED vans or pickups, and those aren't going to hit 40 mpg any time soon, if ever. And there are always those who insist on muscle cars, and on SUVs/pickups that they don't need. Remember, this is an average.
Posted by dmm99
8th Feb
-2 Votes
+ -
Automakers have been trying to achieve better gas mileage for decades,
and the push from government wasn't necessarily what caused the better fuel economy. Yeah, government can push to accelerate the goals, but, it's still intrusive and unneeded. The consumer is the ultimate decision-maker, and the biggest driver towards better gas mileage, is the much higher price that people are paying compared to decades past. People will see the vehicles which save them gas money, and the manufacturers will take notice and respond accordingly with more good gas mileage vehicles.

Obama's goal of 54.5 mpg will have been forgotten by 2015, and somebody else will be taking the credit, but the real credit belongs with the consumers and the manufacturers. The free market always makes better decisions, and government leaders are mostly intrusive while trying to take credit for goals when achieved.

However, what the article fails to mention is, what is the true mpg rating of all vehicles on the road today. The mpg mentioned is 24.5, but, a lot of those vehicles attain a lot lower MPGs, and the article fails to mention which size vehicle is selling the most. Bigger vehicles will generally get lower MPGs, and the smaller and better MPG vehicles assist in bringing the average MPG rating to better numbers. It 10 big gas guzzlers are sold that attain 20 MPGs or less, and then 5 high MPG vehicles are sold which attain 25 or better MPGs, then, naturally, the overall MPGs for the on-the-road vehicles will show better than 20 MPGs and perhaps close to the 24.5; but, the number of gas-guzzlers will not have been that much lower. The little vehicles will be the ones carrying the burden of bringing down the overall MPGs.

Another problem with the study, is the figures they're using, which is what is shown on the sales sticker. I've never bought a vehicle which ever gave me the MPGs shown on the sticker, and it's always been lower. As an example, the sticker on my Jeep had MPGs posted for 23 MPGs highway and 18 city, yet, my average for both combined, has always come to 16 MPGs, so, the stickers on the cars cannot be relied on for actual MPGs. Even my son's Nissan Altima had MPGs of 29 highway and 25 city, yet, the average he gets is actually more like 23 combined.

While it might be true that gas mileage is improving, the fuel economy figures have to be questioned. Plus, I highly doubt that, the 54 mpg will be able to be attained by 2025, and the goal will be missed, and may never be reached, unless all vehicles are shrunk to the size of go-carts.
Posted by adornoe
8th Feb
-1 Votes
+ -
LOL!!! You are such a loser Adornoe...
"Automakers have been trying to achieve better gas mileage for decades"???

Really bright boi??? Cars like the Camaro and Charger were attempts at better gas mileage? You should lay off the Faux News, it has obviously rotted what little brain you had left...
Posted by i8thecat4
8th Feb
+1 Vote
+ -
Idiot!!! So, who is it that makes the cars that people want?
Is it the government? Not a chance, unless you want to call GM, Government Motors.

The government can pass regulations, and the manufacturers can try to meet those regulations.

But, the automakers have been, for a very long time, trying to improve gas mileage on their fleets, and people have been shopping for better gas mileage cars for the last 40+ years.

One of the reasons that the Japanese cars became popular in the U.S., was because they were smaller, and smaller usually equals better gas mileage. The U.S. automakers took notice and decided to try to compete. But the Japanese stayed ahead, and still produce most of the better gas mileage cars around.

With Datsun (now Nissan) and Toyota and Honda making the better MPG cars, the domestic automakers saw their market-share drop tremendously,

The Japanese invasion with their autos woke up the domestic automakers, and they had to try to improve their models, not only for quality, but for MPGs.

Government can mandate all it wishes, but competition works a lot better and faster in waking up manufacturers to better compete. We have better quality and better MPG cars, because of competition. People are always looking for quality, but, they also want to save money with fuel usage.

Your problem is that, you don't even bother to think, and you're one of those obsesses with believing that, if there is a difference of opinion, it must be because of "Faux" news. So, if you know anything about FOX news, can you tell me when is the last time that FOX talked about fuel savings or better MPG cars? I don't even recall any one there bringing up the subject.

So then, the only loser in this discussion, and in any discussion in which you "participate", is you, since you don't really contribute anything, and when you do have something to say, it's always wrong-headed and ignorant and completely lacking in facts. That would indicate that, your posts are based on idiocy.

BTW, the Charge is still around, and so are many other gas-guzzlers, but, the point being discussed, is the average MPGs of automakers' car fleets. But, you wouldn't even understand that point, and so, you're only contribution is to be insulting without bothering to contribute anything of value.

So, the way you approach any subject, not only makes you a loser, but an idiot.
Posted by adornoe
8th Feb
+2 Votes
+ -
The cars people want
Isn't it richly ironic that the doomed taxpayer-funded Fisker EV could end up being a success; not as an EV, but as a gas-consuming hot-rod?

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323940004578255942595222324.html

In an ironic twist, one of the showstoppers is the VL Destino, which strips the Karma of its electric drive-train and inserts a fire-breathing, 638-horsepower Corvette ZR-1 gas engine in its place. The result? A lighter, more competitive, four-door sports sedan. Its designer? Bob Lutz, the former GM vice chairman and old-school "car guy" who brought the struggling Volt to market.
Posted by JohnMcGrew@...
8th Feb
+1 Vote
+ -
I don't think so
I'm pretty sure they've been trying to sell me gizmo's and overpriced junk. The lawyers keep upping the standards they have to comply with and the prices go up up and up. To make a 30,000 dollar car seem attractive they end up sticking touchscreens and buttons everywhere to make it seem reasonable.
Honestly, I need a stripped down 4x4 pickup truck. I don't need massive, overbearing center consols or 20 inch rims. I need a 10,000 dollar simple pick up truck.
And Obama is retarded. Maybe him and his lawyer buddies can drive around hybrids but it will never make financial sense. Working Americans can't afford them now, I bet they won't in 2025 either (seeing as how hybrids or electric are the only way to meet that goal). And good luck re-selling a 5 year old car that needs a $5000 battery pack.
Posted by copracr
8th Feb
+1 Vote
+ -
I highly doubt we'll see Obama's 54.5 "average" by 2025
To make that, eventually the auto makers will be forced to foist mediocre "strip down" cars on the marketplace, reminiscent of the simply awful cars Detroit dumped on us in the late '70s and early '80s. Sales will plummet and consumers will revolt.
Posted by JohnMcGrew@...
8th Feb
+1 Vote
+ -
Wondering about this data
It looks like people are increasingly likely to buy more fuel-efficient cars as the year progresses from spring to fall, then increasingly likely to buy less fuel-efficient cars as the year progresses from fall to spring. I can hypothesize that the summer efficiency climb is from recent college graduates buying their first car (probably a small one). But what explains the winter slump? Maybe people are more likely to buy SUVs as the weather starts getting snowy?
Posted by dmm99
8th Feb
+2 Votes
+ -
40 mpg really is realistic !
Recently I watched NatGeo's mega-factories documentary dealing with the latest model BMW SUV. It exceeded 40 mpg average by far.

25 mpg which translates to approximately 10.5 km/liter isn't anything to write home about !
Posted by pmshah@...
8th Feb
-1 Votes
+ -
Fuel economy
Does anyone know what the figures are for fuel economy from the 1960s? I would hazard a guess that it's rather similar to what is just being quoted for now.
Check out the figures for cars sold in England. The thing is that America has always had cheap petrol (check out English prices, if you don't believe me). There hasn't been any real incentive to improve fuel economy.
Posted by kitemanmusic
9th Feb
0 Votes
+ -
RE: fuel economy (UK Prices)
A majority of the cost of fuel in the UK is taxes, not the cost of the fuel itself.
Posted by GregGold
11th Feb
+1 Vote
+ -
"55mpg Can't be done in the US?" - Nonsense!
Right this minute - and for several years now - there are countries worldwide who are running cars that achieve over 60mpg. They are doing it already!

What you are saying when you say "55mpg Can't be done in the US", is that
a) American engineers are inferior to Japanese, German, British, Korean, French, Italian, etc, etc, or
b) The American public are too idle to walk anywhere, or
c) Both.

Plus, inherently, you are saying to the entire world that the US doesn't give a damn about damaging the planet. Why not say "Let's see how others have done it, and get there quicker"? The gas-buying public, and the rest of humanity, will love you for it.
Posted by MVK3J
11th Feb
+1 Vote
+ -
55 mpg can be done. But...
...an overall average for all cars (that's counting all types of consumer vehicles; cars, trucks, vans, etc) cannot.

Not everybody is going to find a microcar suitable.
Posted by JohnMcGrew@...
11th Feb
0 Votes
+ -
RE: 50 MPG
Look to the DOT specs for what is required for an automobile in the US. The smaller cars built in Europe will not pass the requirements for side crash, rollover ad infinitum.
Posted by GregGold
11th Feb
+1 Vote
+ -
Nor do they pass US emission standards.
Air quality in most European cities is horrendous compared to the US. It's the compromise they've made to accommodate $8/gallon fuel.

I'll take the cleaner air, thank you.
Posted by JohnMcGrew@...
12th Feb
0 Votes
+ -
Same folks same BS
Every time an article about conservation comes up it seems the same people post the same pessimistic BS. "The government is intruding! It can't be done! It's too expensive!"
I remember hearing the same BS from the car manufacturers in the 60's about seat belts and later about shock absorbing bumpers not to mention every time mileage came up.
Cars now as a whole are safer and more efficient not because of the "free market". If that were the case Volvo would have been much more successful.
Posted by harrim47
12th Feb
Join the conversation
Formatting +
BB Codes - Note: HTML is not supported in forums
  • [b] Bold [/b]
  • [i] Italic [/i]
  • [u] Underline [/u]
  • [s] Strikethrough [/s]
  • [q] "Quote" [/q]
  • [ol][*] 1. Ordered List [/ol]
  • [ul][*] · Unordered List [/ul]
  • [pre] Preformat [/pre]
  • [quote] "Blockquote" [/quote]

Join the SmartPlanet community and join the conversation! Signing up is fast and free. Don't wait -- we want to hear your opinion!