The Environmental Protection Agency said Wednesday that its vehicle regulations have benefited both the environment and consumers’ wallets for six consecutive years, as low gasoline prices make it tougher to sell more fuel-efficient cars.
“Car buyers can go to the showroom knowing that no matter what kind of vehicle they buy, it will be better for the climate — and their wallets — than ever before,” said EPA transportation chief Chris Grundler, in releasing a report showing how today’s vehicles are reducing harmful carbon pollution while saving consumers money on fuel purchases.
“This report highlights that the industry is providing vehicles that customers want, while reaching new levels of environmental performance,” Grundler said.
Federal data from last year shows that the low cost of gasoline drove consumers to buy more sport utility vehicles and pickup trucks, which are less fuel efficient, and had hurt sales of more fuel-efficient vehicles and hybrid-electric cars. The Energy Information Administration, the government energy analysis arm, said if the trend persists it could result in automakers failing to meet the EPA’s fuel efficiency and emissions fleet targets.
Grundlet said it doesn’t matter what kind of car consumers are buying, the automotive industry’s adoption of more fuel-efficient technologies and emission controls is cutting carbon pollution and improving fuel economy.
The “CO2 and Fuel Economy Trends Report” showed that model year 2015 vehicles’ fuel economy increased by 0.5 miles per gallon to a record 24.8 mpg, “with improvements across all vehicle types — including passenger cars, SUVs, vans and minivans, and light duty pickup trucks,” according to the EPA.
Fuel economy has increased by 2.4 miles per gallon and carbon emissions per mile have dropped by 10 percent, since 2011, the year before the Greenhouse Gas and Fuel Economy standards took effect, the agency said.
“Automakers have been rapidly adopting fuel-efficient technologies like turbo charging, engine downsizing, more sophisticated transmissions, vehicle weight reduction, aerodynamics and idle stop-start, along with improved accessories and air conditioning systems,” EPA said.
The agency said that more than 100 model year 2016 vehicles are already meeting the standards for 2020.
