Explanatory note: Comparing US and EU truck fuel economy

In June 2015, the US Environmental Protection Agency announced phase II of fuel efficiency standards for medium and heavy-duty trucks, intended to reduce planet-warming carbon pollution. In the US tractor-trailers average between 33-36l/100km. The new proposal will bring that down to below 27l/100km by 2027.

This briefing details how US truck fuel efficiency is increasing much faster than EU truck fuel efficiency. The effect of this is that US trucks are very likely to be the most fuel efficient in the world by the early 2020s at the very latest.