A new report issued by the Department of Transportation found that overall fuel economy for new passenger cars and trucks has dropped to an average of 24.7 miles per gallon. This is the lowest average gas mileage since 1980; in 1987, gas mileage peaked at 26.2 mpg. The blame for the US' poor fuel economy has been placed on Americans' love of gas-thirsty sport utility vehicles including the...

Several new and forthcoming books published by the National Academies Press (NAP) can now be read online through NAP's OpenBook feature, that allows readers to view full text of books (.html). The first listed here, "Effectiveness and Impact of Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) Standards", is an unedited pre-print. It gives the results of a the National Academies Transportation Research...

The birds are singing, school is winding down for the year, and summer is within sight. Tis the season for summer road trips. And this year, as with most recent summers, gasoline prices are on the rise -- even eclipsing two dollars per gallon at some California gas stations. The several sites assembled here look into the issue of summer's pending gas price hike and examine some of the reasons for...

This site is geared toward consumers to help them choose the most fuel-efficient and clean vehicles. Users can download vehicle lists, look up vehicle ratings, learn more about reducing vehicle pollution, and use the links section to find further information. This is a timely site for a period when Americans might well want to think about reducing their dependence on oil.

This publication, prepared by the Office of Highway Policy Information, Federal Highway Administration, is the 56th edition of an annual series that brings together a collection of selected statistical tabulations, relating to highway transportation in three major areas: highway use --the ownership and operation of motor vehicles; highway finance -- the receipts and expenditures of highways by...

The National Academy Press's book about the cooperative research and development project between the US government and the US Council for Automotive Research (USCAR) is available free online. The Partnership for a New Generation of Vehicles (PNGV) program was instigated by President Clinton in 1993 with the aim of increasing fuel efficiency of autos and enhancing the US automobile industry's...