Emissions from new vehicles decreasing, report says
Vehicles are getting greener, according to a pair of reports recently released by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
In model year 2014, the reports said, manufacturers surpassed the more stringent 2014 standards for greenhouse gas emissions and kept steady the record high fuel economy of the previous year.
“For the third year in a row, manufacturers have exceeded the GHG emissions standards by a wide margin,” said EPA’s director of the Office of Air Quality and Transportation, Christopher Grundler. “It’s clear that our standards are working, spurring technology and innovation, and we are on track to achieve significant greenhouse gas reductions.”
According to the Greenhouse Gas Manufacturer Performance Report, manufacturers exceeded greenhouse gas requirements by 13 grams of CO2 per mile. A separate report looking at fuel economy trends from 1975 to 2015 found that the fleet-wide model year fuel economy stayed at 24.3 miles per gallon, while the truck fuel economy improved by 0.6 miles per gallon — the second largest increase in 30 years — to 20.4 miles per gallon. However, the improved truck fuel economy was offset by a 5 percent increase in truck market share.
Over the past 10 years, overall fuel economy has improved by 5 miles per gallon, or 26 percent. In 2012, the EPA and U.S. Department of Transportation implemented standards aiming to double fuel economy by 2025 and cut greenhouse gas emissions from new vehicles in half.
