Some electric vehicle models are now surpassing gas-powered cars in fuel efficiency.
The 2023 vehicles with the highest EPA rating for fuel economy are EVs, each with 140 miles per gallon equivalent (MPGe), while the highest-rated fuel economy for gasoline vehicles was only around 60 miles per gallon, reported CleanTechnica.
The two models to achieve the 140 MPGe were the Hyundai Ioniq 6 and the Lucid Air.
MPGe is how the EPA measures EV fuel economy, making it easy to compare with gas-powered vehicles. It tells us that 33.7 kilowatt-hours of electricity is equal to the energy for one gallon of gasoline.
Between 2011 (when modern mass-market EVs came out) and 2023, EV fuel economy has improved by 37%, while gasoline vehicle fuel economy only increased by 19%, per CleanTechnica.
This is great news since EVs cut down on heat-trapping air pollution as they produce no exhaust, and the market for EVs has grown significantly over the years.
EVs on the road went from about 22,000 to more than two million between 2011 and 2021, reported the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, and this was aided in large part by the fact that prices have significantly gone down in recent years.
EV prices from companies like Tesla have been dropping while efficiency increases, good news for buyers and for the planet.
Hyundai's Ioniq 6 was put on the market earlier this year.
The Hyundai Motor Group's E-GMP electric vehicle platform serves as the foundation for the aerodynamic sedan body of the Ioniq 6. This platform is also used for other SUVs like the Ioniq 5, Kia's EV6 and EV9, and the Genesis GV60, reported CNET.
Thanks to this platform, the Ioniq 6 has an advantage in terms of range and efficiency compared to its extended EV family.
The luxurious and long-ranging Lucid Air electric sedan was also introduced earlier this year and is a bit lighter than the range-topping Grand Touring model because of its smaller battery pack and interior trim, according to CNET.
"The trends we are witnessing have significant implications for global oil demand. Electric vehicles are changing the status quo. By 2030, they will avoid the need for at least five million barrels a day of oil," said International Energy Agency executive director Fatih Birol, as reported by IEA.org. "Cars are just the first wave: electric buses and trucks will follow soon."
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