Graduation Year
2010
Publication Date
Spring 2010
Embargo Period
4-21-2010
Abstract
The auto industry consumes about 70 percent of total petroleum products used in the United States and is a major source of green house gas emissions. With the limited supply of traditional non-renewable energy and a slow growing renewable energy industry, it is important to increase energy efficiency to meet energy demand. Fuel economy, a measure of energy efficiency in automobiles, plays a vital role in reducing the consumption of limited energy and decreasing greenhouse gases. After reviewing past literatures, I find that factors such as, vehicle type, the price of fuel, CAFE standards, the weight of a vehicle, and engine performance have affected fleet fuel economy of automobiles in United States. In order to find the impacts on average fuel economy of passenger cars and light trucks (SUVs), I devise two empirical models. I find that among various attributes, technological factors such as, the weight of a vehicle and performance of a vehicles engine, affects the fuel economy of passenger vehicles significantly.
Disciplines
Economics
Recommended Citation
Gautam, Suman, "What Factors Affect Average Fuel Economy of US Passenger Vehicles?" (2010). Honors Projects. 104.
https://digitalcommons.iwu.edu/econ_honproj/104