Fact #21: March 3, 1997
The Fuel Savings Benefits of Increasing Fuel Economy
The graph below illustrates percent savings in fuel use due to improved fuel economy. A 50% increase (1.5X) achieves a reduction of fuel use of 33%, while a doubling of fuel economy (2X) achieves a 50% decrease in fuel use.
As fuel economy increases as a multiple of original fuel economy, gains in fuel savings decline significantly. For example, a doubling of fuel economy (2X) achieves 75% of the fuel savings as a tripling (3X) of fuel economy. Fuel economy increases past a tripling of fuel economy result in relatively small gains in fuel savings.
Supporting Information
| Increase in Fuel Economy | Reduction of Fuel Use |
|---|---|
| 1.5X (50%) | 33% |
| 2X (100%) | 50% |
| 3X (200%) | 66% |
| 4X (300%) | 75% |
| 5X (400%) | 80% |
Return to Favorite Facts of the Week