Review of Light-duty Vehicle Fuel Economy and Emissions Standards

The document outlines several automotive technologies—including high-compression engines, cylinder deactivation, advanced transmissions, lightweight materials, and 48V stop-start systems—that allow manufacturers to surpass federal fuel economy projections for 2025.

• Technological advancements in gasoline engines are reducing energy losses, with high-compression engines capable of reducing fuel use by 10 to 15 percent for an investment of a few hundred dollars, a technology not considered in the regulators' original analysis.
• Cylinder deactivation allows engines to 'virtually downsize' by turning off cylinders when full power is not needed, yielding fuel improvements of 10 percent or more; regulators had anticipated no adoption of this technology by 2025.
• Automakers are deploying transmission technologies that exceed regulatory expectations, specifically continuously variable transmissions (CVTs) and transmissions with more than eight gears, as seen in the 2017 Ford F-150 and 2016 Honda Accord.
• The use of high-strength steels and aluminum alloys is reducing vehicle weight beyond federal agency projections, exemplified by the latest Chevy Malibu, which reduced its curb weight by nearly 10 percent.
• New 48V electric stop-start systems provide the benefits of hybrid technology at a lower cost by enabling larger electric motors and electric turbochargers, a development not foreseen by regulators when the rules were written.

APA

Union of Concerned Scientists (2016). Review of Light-duty Vehicle Fuel Economy and Emissions Standards. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2016/06/Fuel-Economy-Standards-technology.pdf

Chicago

Union of Concerned Scientists. Review of Light-duty Vehicle Fuel Economy and Emissions Standards. 2016. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2016/06/Fuel-Economy-Standards-technology.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Union of Concerned Scientists |title=Review of Light-duty Vehicle Fuel Economy and Emissions Standards |date=June 2016 |url=https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2016/06/Fuel-Economy-Standards-technology.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{unionofconcernedscientists2016review, author = {{Union of Concerned Scientists}}, title = {{Review of Light-duty Vehicle Fuel Economy and Emissions Standards}}, institution = {Union of Concerned Scientists}, year = {2016}, month = jun, url = {https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2016/06/Fuel-Economy-Standards-technology.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }