I speculate that some small portion of this change may be attributed to the bad economy causing people to spend less on preventative maintenance – tune-ups, proper tire inflation, etc., which can impact mileage. Combine that with a lot of wet weather and the fact that on most cars with A/C engaging the defogger also engages the A/C and reduces mileage.
Certainly doesn’t explain the whole thing, but I’d love to know if anyone has studied the effect of those factors on recent trends.
(And, as a commenter mentioned at the linked article, the price spike in gasoline a couple of years ago may have depressed the usage unusually prior to the 2009 uptick.)
2 responses to “End to a Positive Trend?”
I speculate that some small portion of this change may be attributed to the bad economy causing people to spend less on preventative maintenance – tune-ups, proper tire inflation, etc., which can impact mileage. Combine that with a lot of wet weather and the fact that on most cars with A/C engaging the defogger also engages the A/C and reduces mileage.
Certainly doesn’t explain the whole thing, but I’d love to know if anyone has studied the effect of those factors on recent trends.
(And, as a commenter mentioned at the linked article, the price spike in gasoline a couple of years ago may have depressed the usage unusually prior to the 2009 uptick.)