Study: Vehicle emissions down 14% since 2007

Study: Vehicle emissions down 14% since 2007: "

Filed under: Etc., MPG, USA

Consumers are now buying cleaner, more fuel-efficient vehicles, according to something called the Eco-Drive Index that was compiled by researchers at the University of Michigan. In fact, the researchers found that emissions from recently purchased vehicles are 14 percent lower than back in 2007.



The Eco-Drive Index examines and evaluates greenhouse gases emitted monthly by U.S. drivers of current model year vehicles. However, the Index only monitors emissions from a minuscule portion of the nation's total vehicle population. Nonetheless, Brandon Schoettle, a University of Michigan research associate, says the Index shows that consumers, in general, are shifting to more fuel-efficient, compact vehicles. Schoettle, who created the Index along with University of Michigan professor Michael Sivak, says that soaring fuel prices, combined with a decrease in miles driven per year and increased sales of fuel-efficient automobiles, contributed to the overall decline in emissions.



The decrease in emissions shows that consumers are more than willing to buy fuel-efficient vehicles and is a 'positive message for the automotive industry,' says Schoettle. Do you agree with that?



[Source: Automotive News - sub. req. | Image: Simone Ramella - C.C. License 2.0]

Study: Vehicle emissions down 14% since 2007 originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Thu, 14 Jul 2011 19:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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