25 January 2011: The Global Fuel Economy Initiative (GFEI) in partnership with the International Energy Agency (IEA) has released a report authored by George Eads titled “50by50 Prospects and Progress.”

The report discusses fuel efficiency trends and feasibility of new technologies, and concludes that emissions can be halved in new automobiles by 2030 and in all automobiles by 2050, estimating that global fuel economy can probably be reduced to about 8L/100km (i.e. 60 miles per gallon (MPG) or 25km/L).

The report illustrates regional differences in current efficiency levels and global market share, and describes necessary technical steps to achieve these levels of efficiency. The report also formulates national policy recommendations, including that countries develop regulatory and fiscal environments incentivizing the use of new and improved technologies rather than creating heavier or performance-boosting models. [IEA Summary] [The Report] [The Global Fuel Economy Initiative Website]