Making Cars More Fuel Efficient. Technology for Real Improvements on the Road

Studies show that cars use significantly more fuel per kilometre than suggested by official certification test ratings. While the exact size of this gap is poorly understood there is speculation that the gap is growing as a percentage of the tested value. This has raised concerns that national fuel efficiency and CO2 emissions reduction goals will not be met, and that consumers will lose faith in reported fuel economy figures.

This publication presents an analysis of the fuel efficiency gap and examines technologies available that could reduce that gap and improve fuel economy. A number of technologies are identified that, together, could improve average on-road fuel economy by 10% or more at low or modest cost. Policies are identified that could be used to encourage uptake of these technologies by vehicle manufacturers and, in some cases, by consumers themselves.