United States Air and Radiation EPA420-S-99-003
Environmental Protection September 1999
Agency
Office of Mobile Sources
Report
Announcement
Light-Duty Automotive Technology and
Fuel Economy Trends Through 1999
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) report summarizes
the key trends related to the fuel economy of light vehicles sold in the
United States for model years 1975 through 1999. "Light vehicles"
include those vehicles that U.S. EPA and the U.S. Department of
Transportation (DOT) classify as cars or light-duty trucks (sport utility
vehicles, minivans, and pickup trucks with less than 8,500 pounds
gross vehicle weight ratings). The report finds that fuel economy is
declining, truck market share is increasing, and fuel economy is being
traded for vehicle weight and performance.
Importance of Fuel Economy
Since the early 1970s, EPA has issued reports that summarize fuel
economy data for new light vehicles. The fuel economy values in this
report are laboratory data similar to those that DOT uses for compliance
with the corporate average fuel economy standards. These laboratory
values, however, are significantly higher than the estimated values used
on new car labels and in the Fuel Economy Guide.
Fuel economy continues to be a major area of public and policy interest
for several reasons, including:
(1) Fuel economy is directly related to carbon dioxide emissions, the
most prevalent pollutant associated with global warming, and light
vehicles contribute about 20 percent of all U.S. carbon dioxide
emissions.
(2) Light vehicles account for approximately 40 percent of all U.S. oil
consumption. Crude oil, from which nearly all light vehicle fuels
are made, is considered to be a finite natural resource.
(3) Fuel economy is directly related to vehicle fueling cost.
> Printed on Recycled Paper
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Fuel Economy is Declining
The average fuel economy for all model year 1999 light vehicles is 23.8
miles per gallon (MPG). Within this category, average fuel economy is
28.1 MPG for passenger cars and 20.3 MPG for light-duty trucks. The
1999 fuel economy average is the lowest value since 1980 and is 2.1 MPG
less than the peak value of 25.9 MPG achieved in both 1987 and 1988.
Average fuel economy for new light vehicles has dropped 1.0 MPG since
1996.
All of the fleet-wide improvement in new light vehicle fuel economy
occurred from the middle 1970s through the late 1980s, but it has been
consistently falling since the late 1980s. Viewed separately, the average
fuel economy for new cars has been essentially flat over the last 14 years,
varying only from 27.6 MPG to 28.6 MPG. Similarly, the average fuel
economy for new light trucks has been largely unchanged for the past 19
years, ranging from 20.1 MPG to 21.6 MPG. The increasing market share
of light-duty trucks, which have lower average fuel economy than cars, is
the primary reason for the decline in fuel economy of the overall new
light vehicle fleet.
Fuel Economy by Vehicle Type
30
Average MPG
25 -
20 -
15 -
10
Cars
Trucks
1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000
Model Year
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Truck Sales Continue to Increase
Sales of light-duty trucks, which include sport utility vehicles (SUVs),
minivans, and pickup trucks, have risen steadily for 20 years and now
make up 46 percent of the U.S. market—more than twice their market
share as recently as 1983.
Growth in the light-duty truck market has been led recently by the
explosive popularity of SUVs, which rose in sales from less than
200,000 in 1975 (less than 2 percent of the overall new light vehicle
market) to almost 3 million in 1999 (20 percent of the market). Over the
same period, market share for minivans and full-size vans doubled from
5 to 10 percent, and for pickup trucks grew from 13 to 16 percent.
Between 1975 and 1999, market share for new passenger cars and
wagons has fallen from 81 to 54 percent. Based on lower average fuel
economies and projected longer useful lives, EPA estimates that the new
light-duty trucks sold in 1999 will consume, over their lifetimes, almost
60 percent of the fuel used by all of the new light vehicles sold in 1999.
100%
Market Share by Vehicle Type
Market Share
75% -
50% -
25% -
1975
1980
1985 1990
Model Year
1999
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Fuel Economy is Being Traded forWeight and Performance
More efficient technologies have continued to enter the new light vehicle
fleet and are being used to increase light vehicle weight and performance
rather than fuel economy. Based on accepted engineering relationships, if
the new 1999 light vehicle fleet had the same average weight and perfor-
mance as in 1986, it could have achieved 5 MPG higher fuel economy.
More efficient technologies—such as engines with more valves and more
sophisticated fuel injection systems, and transmissions with extra
gears—have continued to penetrate the new light vehicle fleet. The trend
has clearly been to apply these new technologies to increase average new
vehicle weight, power, and performance while maintaining fuel economy.
This is reflected by heavier average vehicle weight (up 20 percent for
new light vehicles since 1986), rising average horsepower (up 58 percent
for new light vehicles since 1986), and lower 0 to 60 mile-per-hour
acceleration time (19 percent faster for new light vehicles since 1986).
During this same time, average new light vehicle fuel economy fell by 7
percent.
Percent Change Since 1986 in Light Vehicle Characteristics
60%
40%
20%
-20%
Percent Change
m Increase
• Decrease
Fuel Economy Weight (Ibs) Horsepower O to 60 Time (sec)
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For
Light-Duty Automotive Technology and Fuel Economy Trends Through
1999 (EPA420-R-99-018) is available on the Office of Mobile Sources
web site at:
http ://www. epa.gov/oms/mpg.htm
Printed copies are available from:
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
National Service Center for Environmental Publications
P.O. Box 42419
Cincinnati, OH 45242-2419
(800)490-9198
Document information is also available by contacting the Office of
Mobile Sources library at:
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Mobile Sources
NVFEL Library
2000 Traverwood Drive
Ann Arbor, MI 48105
(734)214-4311
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