U.S. vehicles setting new records for fuel efficiency: EPA

[Summitric]

[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]March 17, 2020 by Allan Janssen[FONT=&quot][/FONT][h=1]U.S. vehicles setting new records for fuel efficiency: EPA[/h]

[FONT=&quot]The U.S. vehicle fleet hit a record for fuel efficiency in 2018 averaging 25.1 miles mpg in real-world driving as it rose 0.2 mpg, according to that company’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]The fleet is also preliminarily anticipated to jump to 25.5 mpg for the 2019 model year.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]The EPA and the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) are working to finalize rules to rollback Obama-era requirements through the 2026 model year. Officials hope to finalize the new rules by April 1 but are still working to address remaining issues.[/FONT]
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The report also showed Fiat Chrysler Automobiles purchased a significant number of vehicle emissions credits, while Tesla Inc., Honda Motor Co. and Toyota Motor Corp. sold credits. Daimler, Volkswagen Group and BMW also bought credits.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Among the 13 largest automakers, only VW and Hyundai Motor Co. saw average fuel economy fall in 2018, as they sold more utility vehicles and fewer cars.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Dan Becker, director of the Safe Climate Campaign, said automakers were far short of the 1 mpg improvement they were supposed to meet in 2018. “The rules should be strengthened to cut pollution and save consumers money at the pump,” Becker said.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler cited the small annual increases as evidence the Obama era requirements are “unfeasible.”[/FONT]