New Vehicles Set Record High Gas Mileage Again

Up 5 percent from two months ago and 16-percent higher than four years ago

For the second straight month, fuel economy of all new vehicles sold in the United States is at its highest level, say researchers at the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI).

Average fuel economy of cars, light trucks, minivans, and SUVs purchased in February was 23.7 miles per gallon, up from 23.5 in January (which was revised upward from 23.0 mpg reported last month).

According to Michael Sivak, research professor and head of UMTRI’s Human Factors Group, average fuel economy of all new vehicles bought last month was up 5 percent (1.1 mpg) from just two months ago and is now 16-percent higher (3.3 mpg) than four years ago in February 2008.

In addition to average fuel economy, Sivak and UMTRI colleague Brandon Schoettle issued their monthly update of their national Eco-Driving Index, which estimates the average monthly emissions generated by an individual U.S. driver. The Eco-Driving Index takes into account both vehicle fuel economy and distance driven—the latter relying on data that are published with a two-month lag.

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Comments

Analysis

I would like to see Process Behavior Charts of the data you are reporting. Are the "up's" and "down's" real or just due to random variability from month to month? Where is the process going? Where has it been? The Eco-Index of 0.87 is actually "worse" that the previous two months (0.84).....or is it? Time-ordered data has a dimension (time) which much data does not have. Why not take advantage of this dimension and gain better insights into the underlying system?