Average fuel economy of all
new vehicles sold in the United States
is up for the second straight month, say researchers at the University of Michigan
Transportation Research Institute.
Average fuel economy of
cars, light trucks, minivans, and SUVs purchased in November was 22.7 mpg, up
from 22.6 mpg in October and up from 22.1 mpg in both August and September.
According to Michael Sivak,
research professor and head of UMTRI’s Human Factors Group, average fuel
economy of all new vehicles bought last month is at its highest level since May
when it was also at 22.7 mpg.
The all-time high of 23 mpg
occurred in March of this year. Average fuel economy for new vehicles sold is
now 2.3 mpg better than just four years ago.
In addition to average fuel
economy, Sivak and UMTRI colleague Brandon Schoettle issued their monthly
update of their new national Eco-Driving Index, which estimates the average
monthly environmental impact of an individual U.S. driver. 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.
During September, the EDI
stood at 0.87, the highest level since April. The index currently shows that
emissions of greenhouse gases per driver of newly purchased vehicles are down
13% since late 2007.