ANN ARBOR—Fuel economy of new vehicles sold in the U.S. last month matched its best mark, say researchers at the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute.

Average fuel economy (window-sticker values) of cars, light trucks, vans and SUVs purchased in July was 24.8 mpg—up 0.1 mpg from June and tying the record high reached in March, April and May, according to UMTRI researchers Michael Sivak and Brandon Schoettle. Overall, this is up 4.7 mpg since October 2007, the first month of monitoring.

Fuel economy of model-year 2013 vehicles sold since October 2012 is 24.7 mpg, up 1.2 mpg from 2012 models.

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

During May, the EDI dropped slightly to from 0.82 to 0.81 (the lower the value, the better). The index currently shows that emissions of greenhouse gases per driver of newly purchased vehicles are down 19 percent, overall, since October 2007.

Related Links:

• Fuel economy calculations, along with a graph and table of current and recent mpg: http://www.umich.edu/~umtriswt/EDI_sales-weighted-mpg.html
• Eco-Driving Index calculations, along with a graph and table of current and recent values: http://www.umich.edu/~umtriswt/EDI_values.html

U-M Sustainability fosters a more sustainable world through collaborations across campus and beyond aimed at educating students, generating new knowledge, and minimizing our environmental footprint. Learn more at sustainability.umich.edu.