Year of the Green Car: 2012 Autos Set Records for Fleet Average ...

Luke Tonachel, Vehicles Analyst, New York City

2012 is the greenest new automobile fleet ever. Preliminary data for model year 2012, which ended with September, show that new records have been set for fleetwide average fuel economy and the sales of hybrids and plug-in electric vehicles. Dealer showrooms feature an unprecedented choice of fuel-efficient cars and trucks and consumers are buying them. Federal clean car and fuel economy standards are also working as intended to spur automaker investment in fuel-efficiency, which is just what consumers need to protect them from the gas prices pain at the pump.

Fleetwide Fuel Economy Hits a Record High and Saves Consumers Money

According to University of Michigan researchers Michael Sivak and Brandon Schoettle, model year 2012 reached 23.6 mpg (window label value), which is 1.1 mpg higher than the previous record of 22.5 mpg for model year 2011.

In fact, fuel economy has been on a steady rise over the last five years, largely in response to government action. In 2007, Congress passed and President Bush signed the Energy Independence and Security Act that required increases in fuel economy through 2030. Regulatory standards first announced in 2009 developed the program?supported by the auto industry, (Read more...)

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Source: http://sierraactivist.org/2012/10/31/year-of-the-green-car-2012-autos-set-records-for-fleet-average-fuel-economy-and-sales-of-hybrids-and-plug-in-electric-vehicles/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=year-of-the-green-car-2012-autos-set-records-for-fleet-average-fuel-economy-and-sales-of-hybrids-and-plug-in-electric-vehicles

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