2006 Average fuel economy unchanged states EPA
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released its 2006 annual report this week and, to no one's surprise, it shows that the average fuel economy of vehicles hasn't changed since last year. Currently 2006 models are averaging 21 miles per gallon.
Reasons include consumer demand for SUV and pickups. Interestingly, passenger vehicles show a drop in average miles per gallon from 25 mpg in 2005 to 24.6 mpg this year. SUVs and trucks, on the other hand, rose slightly with SUV increasing 0.2 mpg while trucks rose 0.1 mpg.
The all-time mpg high was 22.1 mpg back in 1987-1988.
[Source: Associated Press via Washington Post]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Rim B 6:26AM (7/19/2006)
Yes, this’ll “hurt” the American psyche, as more fuel efficiency usually means lower horsepower. But honestly: why do people need a 195 horsepower sports car or SUV?
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Phil L. 9:18AM (7/19/2006)
Yeah, I've read about how average MPGs hasn't really changed, etc. But take a closer look at what's really going on.
Case in point: A friend just replaced his '86 Accord (4 cyl, 2.0l, 98HP, manual, finally rusted out at 360K miles) with a '06 Accord (4 cyl, 2.4l, 166HP, manual). He's a careful, efficient driver who closely watches his MPGs. The '06 Accord is far larger than the '86, and has a lot more power. The extra weight is in part due to the larger size - and extra equipment not available or required in 1986 (airbags, ABS, side beams, crumple zones, etc.). In spite of this, he's getting *better* mileage in the '06 than he did in the '86 (driving style and commute route unchanged).
He'd be doing even better if he had gotten a Civic, which is about the same size as his '86 Accord, or a hybrid (for a number of reasons, neither option worked out for his situation).
This is one real-life example of how things really have improved over the years.
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Synergy 12:44PM (7/19/2006)
Rim B,
Who cares why people want a 195 HP sports car (which is pretty weak IMO) or an SUV.
But there will soon be alternatives:
http://www.autobloggreen.com/2006/07/19/tesla-roadster-unveiling-tonight/
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Phil L. 6:28AM (7/20/2006)
Well - there are lots of $80K-120K exotic sports cars I will never get the chance to drive, let alone own, so it's hardly an alternative.
The Tesla has lots of neat numbers - but it will be a forgettable, momentary distraction unless its technology can be used to develop something more useful. Perhaps a practical mid-size sedan, with the same 250 mile range as the Tesla, that can be mass-produced for purchase in the $20K range.
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