The average fuel economy of 2013 vehicles rose to 24.1 miles per gallon, up 0.5 mpg over 2012 levels and nearly 5 mpg over 2004 levels. According to the EPA, the increase in average fuel economy can be attributed to automakers’ “rapid adoption” of more fuel-efficient technologies, such as turbochargers and advanced transmissions.
“Our report shows that today’s vehicles are saving Americans money at the pump while emitting fewer greenhouse gasses,” EPA head Gina McCarthy said in a statement. “We are thrilled to see that manufacturers continue to innovate and are bringing technologies to improve fuel economy online even faster than anticipated,”
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In addition to fuel economy being up, the number of Americans who drive to work is down: according to 2013 American Community Survey, the percentage of Americans who drive themselves to work declined to 85.8 percent in 2013, down from 86.5 percent in 2007. As the Washington Post points out, this decline might seem minor, but it represents a major step in Americans’ driving trends: it’s the first time in decades that the percentage of Americans who drive to work has declined. Americans are walking, biking and taking public transit to work instead, but the Post notes that the biggest reason the percentage is down is that more Americans are starting to telecommute.
Electric vehicle sales are also up in the U.S. According to data from January, Electric and plug-in hybrid vehicle sales jumped 84 percent from 2012 to 2013, with fully-electric vehicles experiencing even more of a surge: those sales went up 241 percent in 2013, evening out at about 47,600 total cars sold. Among those 47,600 cars, 18,800 were Tesla’s Model S, and 22,610 were Nissan Leafs. Americans bought only slightly more plug-in hybrids in 2013 — 49,000 were sold in the U.S., bringing the total electric and hybrid car sales in the U.S. to more than 96,000.
Americans’ Cars Are More Fuel-Efficient Than Ever
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