UMTRI: average new vehicle fuel economy in US dropped in December
06 January 2015
The average fuel economy (window-sticker value) of new vehicles sold in the US in December was 25.1 mpg (9.36 l/100 km)—down 0.2 mpg from November and down 0.7 mpg from the peak reached in August, according to the monthly tally from Dr. Michael Sivak and Brandon Schoettle at the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI). These recent reductions likely reflect the large and continuing decreases in the price of gasoline, they suggested.
Despite these reductions, vehicle fuel economy is up 5.0 mpg since October 2007 (the first month of their monitoring).
The fuel economy of vehicles sold during calendar 2014 averaged 25.4 mpg (9.25 l/100 km), as compared to 24.8 mpg (9.48 l/100 km) during calendar year 2013.
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The University of Michigan Eco-Driving Index (EDI)—an index that estimates the average monthly emissions of greenhouse gases generated by an individual US driver—was 0.79 in October, up from 0.78 in September (the lower the value the better). This value indicates that the average new-vehicle driver produced 21% lower emissions in October 2014 than in October 2007.
The EDI takes into account both vehicle fuel economy and distance driven (the latter relying on data that are published with a two-month lag).
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Is this negative result related to lower cost gasoline? If so, it is going to get worse with much lower cost gasoline in the pipeline?
In other words, we use as much gasoline as we can afford?
Posted by: HarveyD | 07 January 2015 at 07:43 AM
Better economy, consumer confidence, and banks lending money = more trucks and SUV's being sold. Lower cost of gas adds psychological boost as well -- more than financial.
Posted by: JMartin | 07 January 2015 at 08:56 AM