Navigant: Gas-powered vehicles expected to make up less than half sold worldwide by 2017

By: InnovatioNews Friday December 26, 2014 Tags: Boulder, David Alexander, Navigant Research, SSVs

 

BOULDER - Conventional gasoline-powered vehicles are expected to make up less than half of new vehicles sold worldwide by 2017, according to a new report by Navigant Research.

"There is no single technology that will dominate fuel efficiency improvements over the forecast period through 2025," said David Alexander, Navigant senior research analyst.

"The focus, instead, will be on incremental improvements in engines and transmissions, along with weight reduction in as many places as possible."

The report says perhaps the most important innovation will be the wide adoption of stop-start vehicles (SSVs), which eliminate idling when the vehicle is stopped and restart the engine when the driver moves from brake to accelerator.

Over time, the SSV is likely to add functionality to become more of a mild hybrid, the report notes, with the ability to capture and reuse kinetic energy without the expense of a large battery.

Navigant said sales of gasoline and diesel SSVs are expected to reach 63 million annually by 2025, representing 58 percent of all vehicles sold in that year.

A free executive summary of the report, "Automotive Fuel Efficiency Technologies," is available for download on the Navigant Research website.