Average fuel economy for light-duty vehicles sold in the U.S. reached a record high, and carbon dioxide emissions have reached a record low for model-year 2018, according to a report released by the Environmental Protection Agency. The average real-world carbon dioxide emission rate fall by 4 grams per mile to 353 g/mile, while fuel economy increased by 0.2 miles per gallon to 25.1 mpg.
Since 2004, CO2 emissions have decreased 23%, and fuel economy has increased 30%, or 5.8 mpg. Over that time, CO2 emissions and fuel economy have improved in 12 out of 14 years and have repeatedly achieved new records.
Preliminary data suggests further improvements in model-year 2019 — with carbon dioxide emissions expected to fall 6 g/mi to 346 g/mi and fuel economy projected to increase 0.4 mpg to 25.5 mpg. These are based on manufacturer projections rather than real-world data.
Tesla, since it only produces electric vehicles, had the lowest tailpipe CO2 emissions at 0 g/mi and the highest fuel economy at 113.7 mpge of all the large manufacturers in MY-2018. Of the remaining manufacturers, Honda had the lowest CO2 emissions and highest fuel economy.
These technologies are being adopted by manufacturers to reduce CO2 emissions and increase fuel economy.
Image courtesy of EPA
Car and truck SUVs captured a record high 46% of market share in MY-2018. Truck SUVs improved fuel economy by 0.8 mpg and CO2 emissions by 14 g/mile, while car SUVs improved fuel economy by 1.2 mpg and CO2 emissions by 15 g/mile. Sedans, making up 37% of the market, increased fuel economy by 0.6 mpg.
