Fuel Economy and Exhaust Emissions Relationships for Low and High Mileage California Automobiles

Fuel shortages in recent years have heightened interest in the relationship of vehicle fuel economy to the control of exhaust emissions. To determine if, with accumulation of mileage, changes in exhaust emissions are accompanied by changes in fuel economy, both were measured on relatively large displacement, domestic 1976-1978 production vehicles at low mileage (0-15,000 miles) and at high mileage (40,000-60,000 miles).

An analysis of the data indicates that there is a relationship between fuel economy and two of the three exhaust pollutants measured.

The changes in fuel economy and exhaust emissions as well as the relationship between them are described in detail.