Study: New Car Emissions Down 14 Percent Since 2007
Good new folks – we’re not as gassy as we use to be! This has nothing to do with the consumption of beans and nachos. We’re talking about the gas emissions from your cars, and a new study out shows emissions from recently purchased new vehicles have fallen 14 percent since 2007.
The study out of the University of Michigan says the drop in emissions in due in part to drivers choosing to buy smaller vehicles, as well as automakers’ efforts to reduce pollution and boost fuel economy.
The researchers of this study put together the Eco-Drive Index. This handy index estimates the average amount of greenhouse gases emitted monthly by U.S. drivers of new vehicles (bought over the previous month). Unfortunately, the index only monitors emissions from new vehicles, which make up a small portion of the cars on U.S. roads.
In terms of numbers, April 2011 (the most recent month for which data are available), the Eco-Drive Index showed emissions clocking in at 0.86 – that’s 14 percent lower than the base line of 1.0 in October 2007. Contributing to this drop are factors such as rising fuel prices, higher sales of fuel-efficient vehicles and a decrease in driving.
Automakers have responded positively to the findings in the index, says Brandon Schoettle, a University of Michigan research associate who helped create the index. “It has some positive messages for the automotive industry,” said Schoettle. “People have bought, and will buy, fuel efficient vehicles.”
[Source: Automotive News]
More by Amy Tokic
Comments
Join the conversation