The fuel economy in the U.S. hits a record!

 

The fuel economy in the U.S. hits a record!

New EPA data on the U.S. auto fuel economy paint a mixed picture, showing the 2020 model year's record average efficiency, which is well below what policymakers hope to see in the future.

The annual report shows that the average overall fuel economy for cars, SUVs and light trucks sold in the United States reached 25.4 miles per gallon (mpg) in the 2020 model year in real-world conditions, a 0.5 mpg increase from 2019.

By the standards put forward by the Biden administration, which Bloomberg notes, it is "equivalent to approximately 41 mpg in real-world driving conditions which typically represents a 20% reduction in fuel economy from EPA ratings."

Transportation in general—including heavy trucks and other vehicles—is the largest carbon emitter in the United States.

For the 2020 Model, the EPA notes that Tesla's all-electric fleet had the lowest CO2 emissions from the tailpipe by far. Honda, Subaru, and Hyundai were the second-highest performing in terms of average CO2 emissions and mileage.

Conversely, "Stellantis had the highest average CO2 emissions for a new vehicle and the lowest fuel economy for the big manufacturers in the 2020 model year, followed by Ford and G.M.," the EPA notes.