North American Auto Industry Exceeds Fleet Carbon Reduction Targets

March 29, 2015 – In 2013 the North American automobile industry surpassed both fuel efficiency and emission reduction targets set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency back in 2010. Canada’s current government at that time committed to standards in lockstep with those of the U.S. The goal set – to double the performance of North American vehicles by 2025.

What 2013 results indicate – North America is beating its annual goal of greenhouse gas emission reductions. by 7.5 grams per vehicle-kilometer (12 grams per mile) traveled.

If the industry were to continue to match or exceed reduction targets annually until 2025 it would mean 6 billion less tons of CO2 released into the atmosphere in the United States between now and then and roughly one-tenth of that in Canada. Of course these numbers reflect new fleet performance, not existing vehicles on the road. But nonetheless the number, 6 billion, is equal to the total amount of CO2 emitted in the United States by the fossil fuel industry annually. Taking that volume of CO2 out of the air would be considered a major victory considering transportation is the second largest emitter of greenhouse gases in both Canada and the United States.

There is a caveat to all of this progress on emission reductions. The recent drop in oil prices has meant a drastic reduction in gasoline prices at the pump. Consumers caught up in the low price frenzy have been purchasing bigger SUVs and trucks lately rather than greener vehicles. So 2014 and 2015 may not align with the overall trend of the last four years.

Reductions are calculated by analyzing tailpipe emissions, measuring the efficiency of vehicle air conditioners, and looking at the weighting of total fleets in terms of the fuels they burn.