The Fruit of Knowledge
Posts tagged miles per gallon
Report: China mandates strict fuel-economy increase to 47 mpg by 2020
Mar 26th
Filed under: EV/Plug-in, MPG, Legislation and Policy, China
The Chinese government is enacting escalating fleetwide fuel-economy standards that may be fairly reasonable for 2015 but become far less realistic at the end of the decade.
China’s National Development and Reform Commission are among government entities that say the country’s new passenger cars would be required to reach a fleetwide 34 miles per gallon by 2015, marking the first-ever overall fuel-economy mandate for China, Reuters reports.
And while recent fleetwide numbers aren’t available, Reuters quotes John Zeng, Asia Pacific director of consultancy LMC Automotive, as saying that China cars boosted fuel economy by about five percent in 2009 to a little more than 30 miles per gallon, implying that cars would have to cut fuel consumption by a realistic two percent a year through the next three years.
That’s especially doable if, as Pike Research predicted last year, China plug-in vehicle sales jump by 60 percent a year during the next few years, ultimately reaching 152,000 units in 2017. Still, China’s leaders are mandating fleetwide fuel economy of about 47 miles per gallon by the end of the decade, which will take a heck of a lot more than 152,000 plug-in vehicles to reach.
China mandates strict fuel-economy increase to 47 mpg by 2020 originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Tue, 26 Mar 2013 13:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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EPA finds 2012 fuel economy was highest ever, 23.8 mpg
Mar 15th
The average fuel economy for a new car in the US made a record single-year jump, according to new data from the US Environmental Protection Agency. Fleetwide fuel economy rose a record 1.4 miles per gallon to an all-time high of 23.8 mpg, the EPA says. During the past five years, average new-vehicle fuel economy went up 16 percent while emissions decreased 13 percent. Check out the EPA’s press release below and find further information here.
The numbers reflect the fact that the number of US hybrid and diesel models has doubled in the last five years, thanks to automakers expanding their line-ups. Last year, alt-fuel vehicle sales jumped 63 percent to more than 540,000 vehicles, while plug-in vehicle sales roughly tripled to about 50,000 vehicles.
The EPA report echoes similar findings from the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI), which earlier this year said fleetwide fuel-economy advanced 1.3 miles per gallon to a record 23.8 MPG. And UMTRI said in a separate report early last month that January’s average new-vehicle fuel economy continued to increase to a monthly record of 24.5 miles per gallon.
David Friedman, the senior engineer and deputy director of the Union of Concerned Scientists’ Clean Vehicles program, said in a statement that the progress is good, but more needs to be done. “With high gas prices the new norm, the average model year 2011 vehicle will cost its owners almost as much to fill up over its lifetime as it did to purchase it,” he said. “Consumers need more options to shield themselves from the high cost of gasoline.”
Continue reading EPA finds 2012 fuel economy was highest ever, 23.8 mpg
EPA finds 2012 fuel economy was highest ever, 23.8 mpg originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Fri, 15 Mar 2013 16:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Official: EPA finds 2012 fuel economy was highest ever, 23.8 mpg
Mar 15th
The average US new-car fuel economy made a record single-year jump in miles per gallon figures, according to new data from the US Environmental Protection Agency. This increase reflects higher gas prices and a greater willingness of Americans to buy hybrids and other fuel-efficient vehicles.
Fleetwide fuel economy rose a record 1.4 miles per gallon to an all-time high of 23.8 mpg, the EPA says. During the past five years, average new-vehicle fuel economy went up 16 percent while emissions decreased 13 percent. Check out the EPA’s press release below and find further information here.
The numbers reflect the fact that the number of US hybrid and diesel models has doubled in the last five years, thanks to automakers expanding their line-ups. Last year, alt-fuel vehicle sales jumped 63 percent to more than 540,000 vehicles, while plug-in vehicle sales roughly tripled to about 50,000 vehicles.
The EPA report echoes similar findings from the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI), which earlier this year said fleetwide fuel-economy advanced 1.3 miles per gallon to a record 23.8 MPG. And UMTRI said in a separate report early last month that January’s average new-vehicle fuel economy continued to increase to a monthly record of 24.5 miles per gallon.
David Friedman, the senior engineer and deputy director of the Union of Concerned Scientists’ Clean Vehicles program, said in a statement that the progress is good, but more needs to be done. “With high gas prices the new norm, the average model year 2011 vehicle will cost its owners almost as much to fill up over its lifetime as it did to purchase it,” he said. “Consumers need more options to shield themselves from the high cost of gasoline.”
Continue reading EPA finds 2012 fuel economy was highest ever, 23.8 mpg
EPA finds 2012 fuel economy was highest ever, 23.8 mpg originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Fri, 15 Mar 2013 16:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Official: New Nissan Note with 65 mpg* coming to Geneva in diesel, gas versions
Feb 19th
Filed under: Nissan, Geneva Motor Show, Europe/EU
Yes, the Nissan Note looks a lot like a Honda Fit. Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, let’s get to the details of the new B-segment model from the Japanese automaker, which will start selling the note in Europe this fall.
Nissan will unveil the Note at the Geneva Motor Show next month and will bring some higher-end features to the economy car. Blind-spot warning systems, lane-departure sensors and a multi-camera “helicopter view” parking assistant will all be part of the package, as well a stop-start idling system. Nissan says much of the Note’s development work was done in the UK and Spain. The new Note has not yet been priced.
As for fuel economy the Note’s base 1.2-liter three-cylinder engine will get about 50 miles per gallon, while a higher-end gas motor will bump that figure by about 10 percent. Nissan will also offer the note in a 1.5-liter turbodiesel engine that will get about 65 miles per gallon on Europe’s lenient test cycle. Check out Nissan’s press release below.
Continue reading New Nissan Note with 65 mpg* coming to Geneva in diesel, gas versions
New Nissan Note with 65 mpg* coming to Geneva in diesel, gas versions originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Tue, 19 Feb 2013 14:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Exclusive: Fisker Karma drivers averaging 150 MPG*
Feb 13th
Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Hybrid, MPG, AutoblogGreen Exclusive, Fisker
One of the big criticisms of the Fisker Karma is that the heavy beast isn’t exactly efficient. A curb weight of 5,300 pounds is one reason why the EPA says, when running on premium gas, the Karma gets just 20 miles per gallon combined (and 20 city/21 hwy). When you throw electricity into the mix, the Karma is rated at 54 MPGe combined.
All other plug-in hybrids on the US market have better MPGe ratings – the 2013 Toyota Prius Plug-In gets 95 MPGe, the 2013 Chevrolet Volt gets 98 MPGe, the Ford plug ins – the Fusion Energi and C-Max Energi – both get 100 MPGe and the 2014 Honda Accord Plug-In Hybrid gets 115 MPGe,
Still, there is the official test rating and then there’s real life, and it turns out that Karma drivers aren’t big fans of pumping gas. Henrik Fisker recently told AutoblogGreen that the real-world mpg rating (that is, the miles the car moves based on gallons of gasoline put in, not counting electricity, so not an MPGe amount) is in the triple digits. He said:
You can say what you want about how the Europeans or the EPA measures fuel economy, but we have the facts, the facts of how Fisker Karma owners drive the car. The average is 150 miles a gallon. That is a fact. And we have customers who drive 3,000 to 4,000 miles before they fill up.
We’ll post our full Q&A with Henrik tomorrow. Stay tuned.
Fisker Karma drivers averaging 150 MPG* originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Wed, 13 Feb 2013 19:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Official: Average new-car fuel economy hits record 24.5 MPG in January
Feb 5th
Average new-car fuel economy figures ended two straight months of in January and reached an all-time record of 24.5 miles per gallon, the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI) says.
Once again, Americans appeared to respond to higher gas prices by buying more smaller-engined cars, hybrids and plug-in vehicles. Average US gas prices rose about 20 cents a gallon last month to about $3.50 a gallon, the highest average since mid-October, according to the AAA.
As a result, January’s MPG average marked about a half-mile per gallon increase from December and about a nine-percent increase from year-earlier MPG numbers. Last month, UMTRI said 2012 marked a record year for new-vehicle fuel economy, which averaged 23.8 mpg. You can read all of UMTRI’s report and check out our full report on January’s advanced-powertrain vehicle sales here.
Average new-car fuel economy hits record 24.5 MPG in January originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Tue, 05 Feb 2013 18:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Official: PSA Peugeot Citroen, Bosch working on compressed-air, battery-free hybrid
Jan 26th
Filed under: Emerging Technologies, Hybrid, GM, PSA, Citroen, Peugeot
Nike single-handedly popularized the term “swoosh.” If a new and unexpected project works out as planned, PSA Peugeot Citroen might do the same with “whoosh.”
PSA Peugeot Citroen is working on a drivetrain that would hybridize a conventional engine with compressed air in one of the automaker’s B-segment compact hatchbacks. The vehicle, which could go into production as soon as 2016, would include a hydraulic pump that allows the car to run in all-gasoline, all-air or combined (aka “hybrid air”) modes. The system, which is being developed with Bosch, could offer more than 80 miles per gallon (on the more lenient European driving cycle) without the need for a big hybrid battery. PSA Peugeot Citroen is ultimately looking to develop an air hybrid that would get 118 miles per gallon.
Additionally, a PSA Peugeot Citroen spokesman tells Automotive News that General Motors may use the air hybrid system as well. Early last year, GM acquired a seven-percent stake in PSA Peugeot Citroen as part of an agreement in which the two companies plan to share vehicle platforms and components. PSA Peugeot Citroen’s press release is available below.
Other air cars (not hybrids like this one) have been tried before, but the promises we heard about those didn’t always turn out.
Continue reading PSA Peugeot Citroen, Bosch working on compressed-air, battery-free hybrid
PSA Peugeot Citroen, Bosch working on compressed-air, battery-free hybrid originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Sat, 26 Jan 2013 17:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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PSA Peugeot Citroen, Bosch working on compressed-air, battery-free hybrid
Jan 26th
Filed under: Emerging Technologies, Hybrid, GM, PSA, Citroen, Peugeot
Nike single-handedly popularized the term “swoosh.” If a new and unexpected project works out as planned, PSA Peugeot Citroen might do the same with “whoosh.”
PSA Peugeot Citroen is working on a drivetrain that would hybridize a conventional engine with compressed air in one of the automaker’s B-segment compact hatchbacks. The vehicle, which could go into production as soon as 2016, would include a hydraulic pump that allows the car to run in all-gasoline, all-air or combined (aka “hybrid air”) modes. The system, which is being developed with Bosch, could offer more than 80 miles per gallon (on the more lenient European driving cycle) without the need for a big hybrid battery. PSA Peugeot Citroen is ultimately looking to develop an air hybrid that would get 118 miles per gallon.
Additionally, a PSA Peugeot Citroen spokesman tells Automotive News that General Motors may use the air hybrid system as well. Early last year, GM acquired a seven-percent stake in PSA Peugeot Citroen as part of an agreement in which the two companies plan to share vehicle platforms and components. PSA Peugeot Citroen’s press release is available below.
Other air cars (not hybrids like this one) have been tried before, but the promises we heard about those didn’t always turn out.
Continue reading PSA Peugeot Citroen, Bosch working on compressed-air, battery-free hybrid
PSA Peugeot Citroen, Bosch working on compressed-air, battery-free hybrid originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Sat, 26 Jan 2013 17:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Report: Consumer Reports says ’13 Fusion Hybrid comes up short on MPG
Jan 24th
Filed under: Hybrid, MPG, Ford
Last year, Ford claimed that its Fusion Hybrid sedan was one of the company’s many models that beat the magic 40 miles per gallon fuel-efficiency figure, but Consumer Reports discovered that the automaker is just dreaming, Green Car Reports says.
Consumer Reports tested the mid-sized sedan and got 39 miles per gallon, well short of the 47 mpg highway that was first estimated by Ford at the 2012 North American Auto Show in Detroit last January. The publication also took the Fusion Hybrid model to task for issues such as the challenging MyFord Touch infotainment system as well as the model’s fit and finish.
Either way, customers don’t appear to be taking too much issue with the model’s fuel economy. Last month, the Fusion Hybrid more than tripled December 2011 sales by selling 3,244 units. For all of 2012, the Fusion Hybrid boosted sales by 25 percent from 2011 numbers, to 14,100 units.
Consumer Reports says ’13 Fusion Hybrid comes up short on MPG originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Thu, 24 Jan 2013 11:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Ford unveils bolder, lighter F-150 concept truck
Jan 15th
DETROIT (Reuters) – Ford Motor Co unveiled a concept version of its 2015 F-150 pickup truck called the "Atlas" that suggested the next generation of the best-selling vehicle in the United States will have a bolder look and be much lighter. The F-150 concept was outfitted with the next-generation of Ford's turbocharged engine, known as EcoBoost, to wring out more miles per gallon. The F-150 also has active grill shutters on the front of the car and on the wheels to improve aerodynamics. The second-largest U.S. …
