Featured U.S. Fuel Economy Since 1923

Nice plot.
When that guy (UMich) reports average MPG he says 25ish, so is saying on road MPG is not equal to EPA MPG?

I'll say that Light Duty truck line matches my minivan quite well (~17 mpg)

 

Seen any charts with average vehicle size and power output? The steady decline from the beginning to the mid-70's is likely due to increases to engine output and vehicle size; i.e. a Model T to the land yachts of the time.

Japan has hybrid mini-vans. They are just smaller than a US mini-van.

The Transit Connect, and other small commercial vans and trucks, is purchased mainly by businesses. The costs, higher price plus lost cargo space, have to be justified by the fuel savings. Current hybrid SUVs don't get a huge MPG boost now, and it will be less for a boxy van hauling gear, people, and deliveries.

For full size vans and trucks, the hybrid versions have all had greatly reduced towing capacity, if it had any, compared to the ICE model. It doesn't matter if you or many other Prius owners have towed without problems. All that matters to insurance companies and DAs is what the manufacturer says.

 

On road is not equal to EPA, but it is closer since 2009 ;-) The Michigan transportation research looks at new vehicle sales, they are the guys that publish your studies and this. With the average light vehicle around 11 years old, there are a lot of pre-2005 models on the road reducing the average. MY guess the best way to get actual fleet fuel economy would be to take the vmt, try to remove diesels with math, and divide the gas consumed in a year.

Alternative Fuels Data Center: Maps and Data
Use of Gasoline - Energy Explained, Your Guide To Understanding Energy - Energy Information Administration

 

OK right he is saying new cars are 25ish MPG but average on the road is lower...got it!

By the way, I am aware the average Vehicle does under 12000 mile per year. Why does everyone use 15000 mile per year in EV/Hybrid fee calcs, etc?

 

when i was a kid, no one thought twice about their electric, gas, oil or gasoline usage. it was a minute portion of living expenses, no one knew what pollution was and there was an endless supply of fossil fuel.

 

With a 50mpg Prius, rural mail carriers could make out like bandits. The HSD in something like Transit Connect won't be 50mpg, but closer to the NX hybrid's 33mpg. While the box-like aerodynamics would be of less import in low speeds, a Transit Connect itself weighs at least 600 pounds more than a Prius. The Nissan NV200 is 250lbs more, but Nissan's hybrid system doesn't provide as high a gain.

The USPS has started the bidding process for a replacement to the Grumman LLV. I can't think of any existing candates that have a hybrid version, but start/stop and regenerative braking can be cheaply added. But we'll see. Canada Post went with the Transit Connect.

 

It is no wonder that the hybrid highlander only has a take rate of 2.3% this year so far, and it may go lower as the rav4 and lexus nx hybrids get better gas mileage, the highlnder hybrid may have poor sales in 2016.

The ford fusion does relatively well with a hybrid rate of 8.3% and a plug in rate of 2.9%, plug-in and hybrid sales make up 11.2% of the total. Maybe this goes to 20% in the next generation if gas prices go back up.

 

I wasn't referring to the HiHy's high price, but the basic $2k to $3k hybrid premium between the 4 cylinder Camry and hybrid.

The Transit Connect is at 24mpg combined. To get the same level of improvement as the Camry, a hybrid version would have to get 35mpg. Which is possible with the NX300h getting 33mpg. At current fuel prices and 20k miles a year, a hybrid version is going to save around $600 a year in fuel. Depending on final price difference and lease rates, a hybrid version can be a tough sell. Specially if it also has reduced cargo space, payload, and tow ratings.

Hopefully we'll see what the USPS bid entries are in the upcoming year.