mpg posts, articles, and infographics

The Nuts and Bolts of the New CAFE and GHG Vehicle Standards

December 16, 2011 by Charles Zhu
with 145 views

This is Part 2 of a series on the new EPA-DOT vehicle greenhouse gas (GHG) and fuel economy standards. Part 1 took a first look on the goals of the standards.These days, most cars can go from 0 to 60 mph in a pretty short time – but can the nation’s car fleet go from 27.3 to 49.5 mpg in 15 years flat?As we mentioned in Part I, a 49.5 mpg... [read more]

Fuel Efficiency in the US

October 28, 2011 by Tom Konrad
with 242 views

A nice graphic comparing various passenger cars and alternative fuels. Two quibbles: - I don’t think the NASA crawler (used to transport the Space Shuttle) qualifies as a passenger car. - Why not include natural gas vehicles? [read more]

Why 60 MPG Can Be as Standard as Catalytic Converters, Airbags, and Seatbelts

May 25, 2011 by Peter Lehner
with 549 views

One of the first cars I drove was my dad’s Buick Regal. I was only 14, but my older brothers let me sit behind the wheel. After college, I moved to DC and was happy to have an old VW Rabbit to wedge into tight parking spaces. I have fond memories of both those cars—they brought me a taste of freedom—but they can’t hold a candle to today’... [read more]

At 60 MPG, U.S. Automakers and Workers Can Lead World in Vehicle Manufacturing

May 11, 2011 by Luke Tonachel
with 303 views

During his most recent weekly address, President Obama stated that the U.S. can “out-innovate and out-compete” the rest of the world by investing in and adopting clean energy. The President can realize this vision and grow good jobs in the U.S. automotive industry by setting standards that reach 60 miles per gallon (mpg) by... [read more]

How American Ingenuity Can Reduce Our Pain at the Gas Pump: Part 2

April 21, 2011 by Simon Mui
with 153 views

In this blog (Part 2 of 2), I take a swing at describing ways that electric-drive vehicles can help reduce our pain at the gasoline pump, benefit our economy, and clean up our air. Yesterday, Secretary LaHood of the U.S. Department of Energy spoke at the Electric-Drive Transportation Association (EDTA) Conference and the progress... [read more]

Decisions In A Civilized World

March 25, 2011 by Lou Grinzo
with 37 views

I had an experience in the last few days that I thought highlighted some interesting and vexing aspects of our current public dialog about energy and climate issues. I would be interested in hearing what others do in such situations or what you think of my handling of it. To begin with, the situation was right out of a bad sitcom. The... [read more]

The New EPA Fuel Standards: Why MPG No Longer Matters

April 1, 2010 by Dave Rochlin
with 350 views

By Dave Rochlin - originally posted on care2.com I love the ambitious new automobile efficiency targets set by the EPA this week. This is long overdue. As the EPA pointed out, "transportation sources accounted for 28 percent of all U.S. greenhouse gas emissions in 2007, and have been the fastest-growing source of U.S. GHG emissions... [read more]

The Demise of MPG

August 28, 2009 by Geoffrey Styles
with 53 views

Even before the advent of partially- or fully-electric cars, it was becoming increasingly apparent that the old fuel economy metric of miles per gallon isn't as useful for measuring energy consumption in vehicles as when it was first codified in the original Corporate Average Fuel Economy standard in the 1970s. That is due in part to... [read more]