International comparison of light-duty vehicle fuel economy 2005-2015: ten years of fuel economy benchmarking
While the average fuel economy of vehicles continues to improve, a new analysis by the Global Fuel Economy Initiative (GFEI) highlights that the rate of progress has slowed in recent years. The average amount of fuel required to travel 100 km improved by 1.1% in 2014 and 2015, down from 1.8% between 2005 and 2008, according to a new report launched in Washington at the annual meeting of the Transport Research Board. This change reflects the composition of global car sales, as Light Duty Vehicles sold in OECD countries use less fuel than those sold in non-OECD countries, and suggests a technological gap in engine technology between the two regions. However due to the popularity of large, heavy and powerful vehicles in the United States America and Australia, total fuel use per kilometre travelled in these countries remains greater than outside the OECD.