The Sierra Club Launches MPG Calculator
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada 
on 05.26.06
Almost simultaneously with it's lawsuit against the US government over fuel economy standards, the Sierra Club is launching a MPG Calculator that tells you how much gas, money and CO2 emissions you would save if current technology was used to meet higher fuel economy standards. Check it out and forward it to friends and family so that they can see how much more efficient their cars could be if automakers used current technology for fuel efficiency (instead of putting it all into the horsepower war). You can also learn more about the Sierra Club's Clean Car Campaign and sign a petition for higher fuel economy. ::MPG Calculator
From the Sierra Club's press release:
The lawsuit announced today alleges that the Bush administration recently announced light truck fuel economy standards run counter to law. These standards could raise Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards for SUVs, pickup trucks, and other light trucks by a paltry 1.8 miles per gallon by 2011 at best, and may actually erode the fuel economy of new vehicles sold in the United States—actually increasing our dependence on oil. This action is clearly much less than is both economically feasible and possible with existing technology— a violation of the law’s “maximum feasible” provision. According to the Bush administration’s own estimates, these new standards will save less than two weeks worth of oil over the lifetime of these vehicles. The Sierra Club believes that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) – the Bush administration agency responsible for setting fuel economy standards – failed to follow the law by setting fuel economy standards below the technically feasible level. The Sierra Club joins ten states and other environmental groups in challenging the new standards. [...]"If automakers used existing technology to make our cars average 40mpg, Americans would save over $100 billion dollars a year," said Dan Becker. [...]
By raising CAFE standards to 40 miles per gallon, we’d save 3 million barrels of oil a day. That’s more than our daily fix from the Persian Gulf and the comparatively minuscule amount that we’d ever hope to get from drilling in the Arctic Refuge or off our coasts, combined. If we’d raised CAFE standards in 1990, when Congress voted it down, we’d be using a little more than half the gas we are today.
But if you want some serious efficiency, walk or take your bike.
Thanks to Heidi from the Sierra Club for the tip.
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This is so cool--and a great idea from the Sierra Club! Why are we all stuck with gas guzzlers and high prices at the pump when the technology already exists to have all our cars go further on a gallon of gas?? I hope everyone forwards this and has friends sign the petitions so our lawmakers get a grip on reality and wake up to the fact that we can't drill our way to energy independence, so we sure as hell better start using other solutions.
Way too simplistic. Put in a Ford Explorer Hybrid and it says that with current technology you should get 62mpg!!!!!!
Silly.
This mileage/co2 site is rather limited. It only accounts for gasoline use which is passe'. I'll use this site when it also accounts for biofuels useage.
Randy
It's a shame they are missing some common options on the site. (mainly my car - the Toyota Echo)
Yea, I didn't have the option of entering the year of my vehicle OR the type of engine I have (diesel)
When I enter that I have a VW Jetta, it tells me I get "25 MPG" and I should be getting "39 MPG"
Stickly little wicket is... I already average 47 MPG b/c my car's Diesel!
Interesting article
I’ve taken a quick look at your postings, which are very interesting. Lots of material and ideas! Congrats on being so focused!
GasDandy is an easy-to-use tool that tracks a vehicle’s mileage and maintenance information, providing data that can be used for both business and personal purposes. By making these figures readily available, the program also gives the consumer the opportunity to save money and to proactively identify problems that can shorten the life of their vehicle(s). Download a free trial version of GasDandy today at http://www.gasdandy.com