Manufacturers Continue to Use Various Advanced Technologies: “Innovation in the automobile industry has led to a wide array of technology available to manufacturers to achieve CO2 emissions, fuel economy, and performance goals. (Figure ES-5 illustrates manufacturer-specific technology usage for model year 2022, with larger circles representing higher usage rates.) The technologies in Figure ES-5 are all being used by manufacturers to, in part, reduce CO2 emissions and increase fuel economy. Each of the fourteen largest manufacturers have adopted several of these technologies into their vehicles, with many manufacturers achieving very high penetrations of several technologies. It is also clear that manufacturers’ strategies to develop and adopt new technologies are unique and vary significantly. Each manufacturer is choosing technologies that best meet the design requirements of their vehicles, and in many cases, that technology is changing quickly.

“Engine technologies such as turbocharged engines (Turbo) and gasoline direct injection (GDI) allow for more efficient engine design and operation. A growing number of engines can use GDI or port fuel injection (GDPI) depending on conditions – these engines are included with GDI engines in Figure ES-5 for the first time this year. Cylinder deactivation (CD) allows for use of only a portion of the engine when less power is needed, while stop/start systems can turn off the engine entirely at idle to save fuel. Hybrid vehicles use a larger battery to recapture braking energy and provide power when necessary, allowing for a smaller, more efficiently operated engine. The hybrid category includes “strong” hybrid systems that can temporarily power the vehicle without engaging the engine and smaller “mild” hybrid systems that cannot propel the vehicle on their own. Transmissions that have more gear ratios, or speeds, allow the engine to more frequently operate near peak efficiency. Two categories of advanced transmissions are shown in Figure ES-5: transmissions with seven or more discrete speeds (7+Gears), and continuously variable transmissions (CVTs).

“In model year 2022, hybrid vehicles reached a new high of 10% of all production. Strong and mild hybrid production grew, with mild hybrids accounting for 41% of overall hybrid production. The combined category of electric vehicles (EVs), plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEVs), and fuel cell electric vehicles (FCVs) increased from 4% of production in model year 2021 to 7% of production in model year 2022 and are projected to reach 12% of production in model year 2023. This trend will likely continue as EV production is expected to grow across the industry in coming years,” EPA said.