Who is the EPA?

The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) is a US Government body, tasked with assessing possible and actual environmental issues that affect our environment, and indirectly, we the people who live in that environment.

The organization has been around for a while – since 1970 in fact – but increased environmental awareness has lead to their activity building up over time.

Why Is the New Formula Necessary?

Before the new EPA formula came into play, many vehicles used to be rated with a far better mpg than they could ever achieve under real driving conditions. This was because the formula used failed to take into account real driving conditions and issues, such as speeding, cold weather and aggressive driving, all of which impact on fuel economy (your miles per gallon).

Improving the way that average miles per gallon information is calculated means that you are better able to make good choices when buying a vehicle. You save money on fuel costs and, hopefully, will have less impact on the environment.

How Does This Help You?

Well, by having more accurate information regarding fuel consumption on easy to read stickers in the windows of all new cars and trucks sold in the US, consumers can now shop according to their requirements. For instance, you can now easily find, for example, cars that get 30 mpg or more, or even cars that get more than 40 mpg, and make a selection from those “pre qualified” candidates.

Making this information freely available to the public, by an unbiased third party, means that consumers can choose cars that will really save fuel.

What Other Information Does the EPA Provide?

Aside from the new EPA gas mileage statistics on every car, a visit to the  EPA website is worthwhile if better fuel economy is high on your list of requirements for your car, or even to check data on your existing vehicle.

Among the information offered on the site is a fuel consumption calculator, that allows you to search based on make, model and year, and provides average fuel consumption data. This can help you to check whether you are driving to save fuel, or even if your car could do with maintenance and repair.

The site also has a section for the greenest vehicles. These are the best fuel economy car, truck and vehicle statistics, and are a great resource when buying a new car.

What Information is Included

When running a search on the EPA site, you can make a comparison between two models, again useful if you are upgrading. You can also calculate the running costs for a year, based on an average of 15000 miles per year.

Information on where specific car models are sold, the emissions of those models, and many other useful pieces of information are included. This helps you to not only choose a car that will save money on fuel, but it let you know where to buy one, and how much of an environmental impact your choice will have.

What Else Can You Do

Once you have used the EPA site’s data to choose and purchase a new vehicle, which offers more miles per gallon as a standard, there are other ways you can improve this. So you can further improve gas mileage, and really save fuel.

When considering the fuel efficiency and emissions problem from all angles, whether it be finding cars that save fuel when buying, checking emissions to find out what your environmental impact is, or choosing a car that provides the best of both worlds, the new EPA gas mileage calculator, and indeed the whole website, is certainly a great resource.

Fuel-efficient cars save you, the driver money, and the environment in terms of less consumption of finite fossil fuel resources, and probably a lower emissions score. So if you are in the market for a new vehicle, or you want to find out more about your existing car, pay the EPA website a visit, and check how your wheels stack up.

Make informed choices, learn how to save on fuel costs, find out how alternative fuels can help you save money or emissions, and start making a difference, and saving money by getting more mpg out of your car or truck today.

Motor manufacturers have picked up on public need for more fuel-efficient cars and a desire to save money on fuel costs. There is also growing environmental awareness and a need to reduce our carbon footprints. This, along with years of research, has lead to the development of the super mini class of car that i cheap to run.

Engines Smaller Than a Motorcycle

The new super mini class of car is taking this new engine technology to the limit in terms of engine size, with some new models clocking in at 800cc or less. That’s smaller by far than many motor cycles!

Combining a smaller engine with a more compact car all round, and paying attention to issues relating to fuel efficiency, such as aerodynamics and drag, these manufacturers have built models that save money on fuel costs with every mile you drive. Yet they still provide impressive performance, with top speeds in the region of 100 miles per hour.

In fact, with one of these new super minis, it’s not even necessary to learn how to save on fuel costs. They give you fuel savings right from the get-go. However, if combine one of these small cars with other fuel saving tactics like driving smoothly to save fuel, car pooling and making sure your car is always in top condition, you would save even more on fuel consumption.

Small Cars and Hybrids

While these little super mini cars may be dominating the conventional engine market, its hybrids, like Toyota’s Prius and Honda’s Civic that are really dominating in the mid sized market!

Both of these have been tested, and had fuel economy scores of over 40, even for town driving! With their hybrid conventional / electric engines, they are able to outperform even some of the tiniest engines out there!

This is the future of automobiles – developing cars that save fuel. Giving customers the choice to buy cars that offer better long-term value for money. In addition, with ongoing research into alternative fuels, prompted by the realization that fossil fuel supplies are not infinite, and that burning them is damaging our planet. Soon, we may be able to choose between a host of other vehicle fuel options, such as solar power, biofuel or even water, in addition to electric hybrid cars.

Ford, Mazda and Mercury are just some of the manufacturers that have released their own hybrid vehicles and models, which, although not outdoing the cars that get 40 mpg or more, these do fall into the most respectable category of vehicles that get more than 30 mpg.

Alternative Transport

However, with consumers becoming more aware of fuel efficiency, either due to economic reasons, where the global recession is forcing commuters to save money on fuel costs, or due to environmental concerns, which leads them to seek out better fuel economy options, with a view to helping save the planet, there are more options out there.

For example, almost any motor cycle or moped out there would offer better fuel efficiency that just about any model of car on the market. In fact, in some countries, where the global economic crisis has hit particularly hard, it’s not unheard of to find professionals trading in their car, or keeping it for weekends. Instead they purchase a motorcycle or moped because they are very light on fuel and very easy to park almost anywhere.

There are many alternatives to high gas mileage cars, but if you have a family to transport, it may be your best option!

Of course, there is always public transport as an option too. If your job or school is on a bus route, or nearby a train station, it may be worth your while to investigate this option. It will certainly save money, and more people using public transport systems means less traffic and congestion, which is better for the environment!

The Hyper-Milers

The Hyper-Miler is a whole new subset of driver that has developed, drivers who know how to save on fuel costs by driving to save fuel. And save they do. While the Prius’s tested fuel efficiency, clocking in at over 40 mpg on average is impressive, it has nothing compared to what a hyper-miler can do knowing how to save money on fuel!

The record for getting more mpg was set in a Prius, which produced an amazing 109 miles per gallon! That is more than double the EPA tested average!

And when you consider that well known hyper-milers like Wayne Gerdes can coax even a Honda Accord to nearly sixty miles per gallon, it becomes clear that it is not only about what car you drive, but also how you drive it that allows you to save money.

There are high gas mileage cars, and there are high gas mileage drivers. One can cancel out the other if not careful… Or, if they work together in harmony, they become an unbeatable combination to save you fuel and money.