The energy impact of U.S. passenger vehicle fuel economy standards

Proposed fuel economy standards in the U.S. require new vehicles to achieve at least 34.1 miles per gallon on average by 2016. Scenarios of vehicle technology deployment indicate that this target is aggressive, requiring significant changes. New vehicles must become, lighter, smaller and a greater number will use advanced, more fuel-efficient powertrains. These changes can reduce fuel use, and also have implications on automotive material use and their corresponding production energy demands. This paper explores these effects to assess the energy impact of the fuel economy standards over time.