We invite you to join us in working to make 40 miles per gallon the standard for all automobiles in the United States. http://www.40mpg.org en-us Sat, 31 Jul 2010 15:52:55 -0500 planned federal fuel economy regulations for commercial trucks, UPS Inc. has said it aims to improve the fuel efficiency of its fleet by 20 percent between 2000 and 2020.  It seems like a rather lofty goal but the company has already increased fuel efficiency by 10 percent between 2000 and 2009 through use of improved vehicle technology, effective maintenance, fuel conservation, routing technology, and operation initiatives such as minimizing idling.  That increase in fuel efficiency since 2000 decreased UPS fuel consumption by 3.2 million gallons.  Let's hope other big delivery companies take up the gauntlet they have thrown down ... Although not all fuel economy winners, a few of the 2011 vehicles highlighted in a top 10 list are real fuel sippers. The Chevy Cruze Eco is a good bet, getting 40mpg highway.  Also coming in at 40mpg highway, the Ford Fiesta has enjoyed a lot of buzz. The Hyundai Sonata gets 35 MPG highway, which is impressive for a midsize car. The 2011 VW Jetta is getting some updates and will still be available in a powerful yet MPG-friendly clean diesel. And of course, the electric Chevy Volt and Nissan Leaf make the list, at the very tip top of the MPG chart.  If you are in the market for a new car and want to go green, check out this list ... ]]> http://www.40mpg.org/weeklyupdate.cfm#289 some of the stories out there, you'd certainly think so. That is what the carmakers perpetuating this idea are depending on since they prefer the higher profit margins of the big, gas-guzzlers.  But what these stories - and the carmakers - aren't focusing on is the fact that the changes to some of these "trucks" have them now being built on much lighter and more fuel-efficient car frames powered with smaller, more fuel-efficient engines --  such as the new, 30-percent more efficient Ford Explorer.   (Kudos to Ford on the advances - but let's not pretend this is one of the old SUV dinosaurs!)  In addition, automakers have aggressively been adding MPG-saving materials and engine adjustments to these vehicles.  So if Americans purchase what look to be large vehicles but get much-improved MPG, who cares?  To say that the old Detroit mentality is back is both wrong and, arguably, dangerous ...  It looks like some new clean diesel development may be a victim of market forces, for now.  Honda has pushed back plans to produce clean diesel engines and will focus primarily on hybrid and electric vehicles since diesel prices are now at or higher than gas prices  ...  Want to test your fuel economy knowledge?  Check out a quiz from the Kansas City Star. If you do well, you may not need these but those who are rusty on their MPG know-how may want to check out this list of resources on how to tweak your driving habits to get the best fuel economy and what maintenance is most important to keep your engine getting its top MPG, especially if you're driving to a vacation destination this summer and are looking to save at the pump ...]]> http://www.40mpg.org/weeklyupdate.cfm#288 Fiat says the two-cylinder TwinAir will not only get 57.4 MPG, it will also have super low carbon emissions - 92 g/km of CO2.  How does that stack up with the hybrid leading Prius?  50 MPG and 89 g/km of CO2.   It sounds like Fiat has put a lot of fuel economy bells and whistles on this little car that could.  It features a turbocharged engine and start-stop technology. An "eco" mode allows the driver to cut torque to boost fuel economy.  Our only question:  When can we test drive one?  The Fiat 500 will arrive in the U.S. at the end of the year but no word yet on whether this kick-ass engine will make the U.S. lineup ... We've said it before and we'll say it again - fuel economy regulations do work to motivate automakers to improve MPG.  The proof is in the pudding, so to speak.  Although new fuel economy regulations don't go into effect until 2012, we're already seeing some solid year-to-year gains show up between some 2010 models and 2011 ones in the midsize field in particular.  The Honda Accord improves the most, going from 21 city/31 highway in 2010 to  23/34 in 2011.  The Hyundai Sonata gains 3 MPG in highway MPG. Chrysler has not yet announced its MPG numbers for the Avenger and Sebring but says there will be fuel economy improvements. Although Ford and GM won't show these gains, it's because they started earlier on improving their numbers.  The Ford Fusion gets 34 MPG highway, same as the Accord, and the Chevy Malibu gets a close 33 MPG highway.  All of this is good news for fuel economy conscious consumers ... HuffingtonPost commenter and green builder Tom Schey offers an interesting perspective on how our oil addiction led to the environmental catastrophe in the Gulf and when we need to do now to make things better moving forward:  "Yes, we consume 20,000,000 barrels of oil a day, 65% of which is imported, and get our crude oil from countries like Canada, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Venezuela and Nigeria, all the while demanding that our beautiful vistas be kept pristine. ... Let's look across the Atlantic for a moment. While Reagan dealt with Carter's post-oil embargo America by lowering CAFE (Corporate Average Fuel Economy) standards, Europe saw an opportunity to increase efficiency. They raised CAFE standards and levied taxes on petroleum, forcing people to be more efficient by driving smaller and more effective cars. And it worked. I have often read that had we followed the European model, today we would not be importing oil at all, or at least we would have the option to import it from friendlier countries and not sinking holes 22,000 feet below the surface of the ocean. ... Our dependency on oil is an addiction we need to break. The government should be forcing us through rehab ..." Amen! ...]]> http://www.40mpg.org/weeklyupdate.cfm#287 Alternative Fuel Locator app. As part of the USA.gov's revamped site, the government has moved into the 21^st century and is offering mobile apps.  Your smartphone can find the five closest biodiesel, electricity, E85 (etha­nol), hydrogen, natural gas, and propane fueling sites near you using familiar Google technology. Want to track your MPG and annual fuel cost through your Web-enabled mobile device? Or looking to calculate how much you could save at the pump with a new car that gets 30 MPG versus an older car that gets just 20 MPG?  Then check out the FuelEconomy.gov app ... We've reported before that the government is crafting fuel economy standards for commercial trucks.  This is a major step towards reducing our greenhouse gas emissions. Well, now you can put your money where your mouth is and be heard.  "The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said it is seeking comments on the effect new mileage standards for medium- and heavy-duty trucks will have on the environment." Comments will be accepted until July 14 when you enter Docket No. fr14jn10_20 at www.regulations.gov ...                                                           ]]> http://www.40mpg.org/weeklyupdate.cfm#286 one of the year's biggest driving weekends.  Ahead of the holiday weekend and in part due to the first U.S.-bound named tropical storm of the season, prices across the country are up 5 cents in the last two weeks. And travel over the weekend - even in places like Florida that have been affected by the Gulf Oil spill - is likely to be up ...  The "manual vs. automatic" debate is all but over.  The statistics don't lie:  91 percent of model year 2009 cars sold in the U.S. had automatic transmissions. We'd mentioned before that new technology has narrowed the manual-versus-automatic gap in fuel efficiency. Not only is the gap all but gone, some automatic or CVT (continuously variable transmission)-equipped engines now get better fuel economy numbers than manually shifted transmissions.  For example, the 2011 Mustang V6 automatic gets 19/31 (city/highway) MPG whereas the manual gets 19/30 MPG. And a Honda CR-Z with a CVT engine gets 36/38 MPG versus 31/37 MPG for the manual ... Although it's one of the best-selling cars in the country, Honda isn't resting on its laurels when it comes to the Accord.  The 2011 Accord, which will go on sale in mid-August fall, is receiving a boost in fuel economy. The four-cylinder will get 23 city/34 highway, a boost of 2 and 3 MPG respectively. The V6 goes up 1 MPG, getting a  19 city/30 highway MPG rating. The numbers top those of two main rivals, the Hyundai Sonata and Toyota Camry ...]]> http://www.40mpg.org/weeklyupdate.cfm#285