According to a report released Monday, Nov. 23, 2009, for the fifth consecutive year, the agency is reporting an increase in fuel efficiency with a corresponding decrease in average CO₂ emissions for new cars and light duty trucks. This marks the first time that data for CO₂ emissions are included in the annual report, Light-Duty Automotive Technology, Carbon Dioxide Emissions, and Fuel Economy Trends: 1975 through 2009.

For 2008, the last year for which the agency has final data from automakers, the average fuel economy value was 21.0 miles per gallon (mpg). The EPA projects a small improvement in 2009, based on pre-model year sales estimates provided to the agency by automakers, to 21.1 mpg.

The report confirms that average CO₂ emissions have decreased and fuel economy has increased each year beginning in 2005. Average CO₂ emissions have decreased by 39 grams per mile, or 8 percent, and average fuel economy has increased by 1.8 mpg, or 9 percent, since 2004. This positive trend beginning in 2005 reversed a long period of increasing CO₂ emissions and decreasing fuel economy from 1987 through 2004, and returned CO₂ emissions and fuel economy to levels of the early 1980s.

The report also provides data on the CO₂ emissions, fuel economy and technology characteristics of new light-duty vehicles including cars, minivans, sport utility vehicles, and pickup trucks.

The agency noted that these real world fuel economy values are about 20 percent lower, on average, than those used for compliance with the corporate average fuel economy program under DOT.

Links

• More information on the trends report: