This is the third consecutive month average fuel economy records have been achieved by the industry.

TrueCar  describes itself as the automotive pricing information and analysis company that provides new car pricing trends and forecasting; the company identifies its average fuel economy rating as the TrueMPG rating.

“The industry reached yet another record-high TrueMPG average in March, thanks not only to continued consumer preference for smaller vehicles but also due to significantly improved fuel efficiency of larger vehicles, especially large trucks,” said Jesse Toprak, senior analyst for TrueCar.  “The highly competitive mid-size sedan segment experienced the biggest gain since last year, with Nissan and Chrysler posting the largest improvements among automakers.”

Below is, according to TrueCar, how the top eight manufacturers fared comparing overall MPG, broken out by car and truck mpg:

• the TrueMPG for vehicles sold by U.S. manufacturers averaged 21.8 MPG in March 2013, up from 21.3 MPG in March 2012;
• European manufacturers increased their average fuel economy for vehicles sold from 23.0 MPG to 23.4 MPG;
• Japanese manufacturers increased their average fuel economy from 25.0 MPG last year to 25.4 MPG;
• South Korean manufacturers’ average fuel economy decreased from 27.4 MPG in March 2012 to 27.3 last month.

TrueMPG is described by the company as a data-rich method to compare monthly fuel economy averages by brand, manufacturer, origin and vehicle segments using Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ratings and actual monthly automotive sales-weighted information.

TrueCar.com seeks to provide average fuel economy transparency by creating an alternative view to Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) ratings.

The company aims the have its TrueMPG rating help keep in perspective what each manufacturer’s average miles per gallon per car sold – computed monthly and annually – by using the EPA’s window sticker ratings.

To create its TrueMPG rating, TrueCar computes monthly average fuel economy by brand, manufacturer, origin and vehicle segments by using actual sales data for the current month. Calculations start at the trim level, taking into account EPA fuel economy data, including engine size and drivetrain that affect a vehicle’s MPG ratings.

The sales share from each trim level is then calculated to create an average for each model.

Brand level data is calculated by the sales share of each model and the manufacturer data is then based on the share of each brand, providing what the company said is an accurate and completely data-driven picture of actual measured MPGs in the marketplace.

TrueCar utilizes the EPA’s average fuel economy rating using 45 percent highway and 55 percent city driving behavior.

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At the same time, Chevrolet said that “their experience contributes to an out worldly total of 150 million electric-powered Volt driving miles – roughly the distance from Earth to Mars.”

Knowing this from the monitoring the company does of the performance and driving habits of Volt owners who have agreed to it, Chevrolet can say that the typical Volt owner who regularly charges the vehicle is going 900 miles between fill-ups of the gas tank feeding the gasoline engine that powers the Volt’s on-board generator.

Per Chevrolet, that avoids about $1,300 a year at the pump.

MPGe is a measure of the average distance traveled per unit of energy consumed. The EPA uses it to compare the consumption of alternative fuel vehicles, plug-in electric vehicles and other advanced technology vehicles with the fuel economy of conventional internal combustion vehicles expressed as miles per U.S. gallon of gasoline.

According to Chevrolet, some drivers are all but avoiding gasoline. The company released the following Volt owners statements to back this up:

“I have driven more than 23,500 miles in my Volt in 21 months, and have been to a gas station twice,” said Brent Waldrep of Auburn Hills, Mich. “The last time, was in August (2012), and I still have about 65 percent of that tank left. I go about 9,000-10,000 miles between fill ups.”

Chevrolet said Waldrep is atypical, but he is not alone.

“It’s been more than 5,000 miles and I’ve only filled up once not including the dealer fill,” said Larry Read of Canyon Lake, Texas.

Volt owner Paul Friday of San Jose, Calif.

Paul Friday of San Jose, Calif., says he gets about 7,000 miles between fill-ups and adds about three gallons of gas to his Volt every three months.

“We’ve seen and heard from our Volt owners that they are achieving fantastic performance numbers with their vehicle as many are beating the EPA label estimates,” said Cristi Landy, Chevrolet Volt marketing director. “Our Volt owners are showing the performance potential of driving electric, and having fun doing it.”

More results and comments from Volt owners can be found at www.facebook.com/chevroletvolt.

For the first 38 miles, the Volt can drive gas and tailpipe-emissions free using a full charge of electricity stored in its 16.50-kWh lithium-ion battery. When the Volt’s battery runs low, a gas-powered generator seamlessly operates to extend the driving range up to another 344 miles on a full tank.

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The proposal by the Obama administration would call for a reduction in average sulfur content from 30 parts per million to 10 parts per million, and rules – if approved – would take effect Jan. 1, 2017.

The next step is for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to announce and open a public comment period for 60-days, and the law as proposed would see opposition and support from vested interests, no doubt.

In question is how much the proposal would add to the average price per gallon of fuel. Oil companies warn it could spike prices by as much as six to nine cents per gallon because they would need to equip refineries with expensive equipment to produce the cleaner fuel.

Proponents such as clean air groups – basing their statements on U.S. EPA estimates – peg the average price increase at only one cent per gallon.

Automakers have mostly to gain and several have shown support for the proposal as it would make uniform the fuel requirements for their global offerings, including higher-mpg lean-burn direct injection engines which require low-sulfur gasoline.

According to Automotive News, Ford, BMW and Daimler are among those developing these types of engines. One tradeoff is these engines do produce more emissions, but the low sulfur content fuel could balance their net output to acceptable levels.

Known as Tier 3, the rules would also allow automakers to sell in all 50 states vehicles intended to meet California rules planned to take effect in 2017.

Extra costs are also involved in producing and operating the vehicles meant to burn the fuel however. Because sulfur builds up inside of catalytic converters, a regenerating system must be included to heat the catalyst. This is less than a perfect solution as it 1) adds to production cost and vehicle complexity, and 2) allows engines to use fuel to develop some heat instead of propel the car, so fuel economy marginally suffers as a result.

Oil companies also say their costs will escalate by tens of millions of dollars, and they have been adamantly opposed to proposed low sulfur gasoline for the U.S.

Justifying its decision to make the proposal, the U.S. EPA says the bottom line is public health costs would be reduced by $7 for every $1 spent on emissions controls in cars, and the cleaner low-sulfur gas they require.

Automotive News

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Between them, the companies have designated more than $412 million as compensation to those customers with one of the dozens of models involved in the reimbursement program set up by the two companies.

In November of last year the car manufacturers acknowledged to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that procedural errors at the automakers’ joint testing operations in Korea led to incorrect fuel economy ratings for select vehicles.

Automotive News has recently reported that an official with Kia has said the brand is allotting about 200 billion Korean won (approximately $187 million) for U.S. customers with affected Kia models, while Hyundai has said it will spend 240 billion won ($225 million) to compensate its customers.

Following the discovery of the mislabeled EPA fuel economy ratings last autumn the companies were quick to establish a reimbursement program for consumers. Hyundai officials have said that reimbursement would continue for as long the original owner has the vehicle.

Despite the brands’ seemingly contrite actions to quickly rectify the issue, a civil suit was filed against them.

Ford has recently come under similar scrutiny for allegedly overstating the fuel economy of its C-MAX Hybrid and Fusion Hybrid.

In December Consumer Reports said that it was not able to get either car to reach the 47 mpg combined fuel economy rating that Ford says each car is capable of meeting. As with the Hyundai/Kia situation, the Ford mpg claims caught the attention of the EPA. And like the Korean automakers Ford is now embroiled in class-action lawsuit.

While the automakers for now are understandably bearing the brunt of the backlash, the EPA’s fuel economy testing procedures for hybrid vehicles have come under fire by some for not accurately assessing how a hybrid’s engine can effectively give an artificial boost to fuel economy numbers.

As Consumer Reports notes, Ford’s system can operate in full-electric mode at speeds up to 62 mph. That ability, says CR, can greatly improve fuel economy in the EPA highway cycle, since most of the government’s simulated driving test measures gasoline used while driving at lower speeds.

According to a Bloomberg report Ford’s product development chief, Raj Nair, has said that Ford continues “to work closely with the EPA to determine whether the industry testing procedure needs changes for hybrid vehicle testing.”

Automotive News

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Jeff Alson, senior policy advisor at the EPA’s Office of Transportation and Air Quality, said that nearly 90 models sold today already meet or will meet with minor air conditioning upgrades the 2016 requirements. In Alson’s words, emissions and fuel efficiency improvements are happening at a “pace that none of us would have predicted a few years ago.”

Alson also said that half of these vehicles run on gasoline, but none of those gasoline models would meet the 2025 requirements.

Out of the 90 already meeting the 2016 requirements, 25 models do meet the 2025 emissions requirements, but they represent only 3 percent of total vehicle sales. These models are all either hybrids, plug-in hybrids, electric vehicles or fuel-cell vehicles.

Experts say this does not mean the gasoline engine is doomed.

Robert Bienenfeld, senior manager of environment and energy strategy at American Honda Motor Co.’s Product Regulatory Office, told Karl Henkel of The Detroit News that “gas engines should continue to dominate — with improvements such as direct injection, downsizing and turbocharging — until about 2021.But by then costs for consumers will rise as improvements in vehicles increase; more electrification will be needed to meet the 2025 requirements.”

Improvements will come in many ways, including technology refinement, the use of special alloys to reduce weight, removing unnecessary interior elements and a drastic reduction in engine size.

Considering all this, Alson does not expect electric car sales to flourish before the end of the decade.

The Detroit News

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To qualify, vehicles must be classified by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) as a super ultra-low emission vehicle (SULEV) and also be certified by the U.S. EPA to offer fuel economy of at least 45 mpg on the highway.

According to Ford, the C-MAX Energi not only meets the CARB standard but also offers EPA-estimated 100 MPGe combined – 108 MPGe city, 92 MPGe highway – along with a total range of up to 620 miles and an electric-only range of up to 21 miles.

“C-MAX Energi is America’s most affordable plug-in hybrid and offers a top electric-only speed of up to 85 mph,” said C.J. O’Donnell, group marketing manager for electrification. “Others clearly appreciate the environmental benefit, too, which is why we are seeing programs like Clean Pass embrace Ford’s electrified lineup.”

Clean Pass is a multi-agency pilot program partnering three New York state agencies – the State Department of Transportation, the State Department of Motor Vehicles and the State Department of Environmental Conservation.

Programs such as Clean Pass are growing in number to encourage the use of vehicles that produce fewer emissions and use less fuel. They range from the $3,750 federal tax credit owners may receive; to a program in Ferndale, Mich., where drivers of hybrids that get 30 mpg or better in city driving are allowed to park for free at city parking meters.

Other states offering lane driving privileges for hybrid vehicle owners include Florida, Georgia, New Jersey, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia and West Virginia.

Ford says access to HOV lanes is more important than ever as commuters spend more time on the roads. A recent study from New York University’s Rudin Center for Transportation Policy and Management shows today’s commuters are on the road longer than ever before, and the number of people who commute more than 90 miles to work has doubled over the past 10 years.

“More and more organizations seem to be recognizing the potential positive impact of having electrified vehicles account for as much of that drive time as possible,” said Curt Skaluba, general manager of Ford’s east market area, parts, service and sales operation.

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