EPA Data Shows Fuel Economy Up, CO2 Emission DN in 2008
OAKHURST, N.J. (DTN) --- The Environmental Protection Agency reported a
fifth consecutive year of increased fuel efficiency for new cars and light
trucks, while detailing a decrease in carbon dioxide emissions for the same
period.
For 2008, the last year for which EPA has final data from automakers, the
average fuel economy value was 21.0 miles per gallon. The agency projects a
small improvement in 2009, based on pre-model year sales estimates provided to
EPA by automakers, to 21.1 mpg.
Data shows average CO2 emissions have decreased 39 grams per mile or 8
percent, and average fuel economy has increased 1.8 mpg or 9 percent since
2004. This positive trend beginning in 2005 reverses a long period of
increasing CO2 emissions and decreasing fuel economy from 1987 through 2004,
and returns CO2 emissions and fuel economy to levels of the early 1980s.
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