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The strong correlation between vehicle weight and fuel economy for conventional vehicles (CVs) is considered common knowledge, and the relationship of mass reduction to fuel consumption reduction for conventional vehicles (CVs) is often cited without separating effects of powertrain vs. vehicle body (glider), nor on the ground of equivalent vehicle performance level. This paper challenges the assumption that this relationship is easily summarized. Further, for hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) the relationship between mass, performance and fuel consumption is not the same as for CVs, and vary with hybrid types. For fully functioning (all wheel regeneration) hybrid vehicles, where battery pack and motor(s) have enough power and energy storage, a very large fraction of kinetic energy is recovered and engine idling is effectively eliminated.

Statistical analyses of the acceleration capability of gasoline vehicles have focused on zero to 97 km/h acceleration rates and have concluded that peak power per kilogram is an appropriate single surrogate for acceleration capability. In this paper, statistical methods are used with data for 107 vehicles tested and reported by Consumers Union for 1986-1988 model years to estimate the determinants of contemporary gasoline vehicle acceleration capability under various conditions, adding new variables to the statistical tests reported by others. Like previous studies, this analysis determined that power and weight provide the most information about acceleration capability. Using a model formulation unlike other studies, this study found that engine displacement also provides statistically significant improvements in explanation of 0-48, 0-97, and 48-97 km/h acceleration times.

Statistical methods are used with 107 vehicles whose fuel economy was presented and reported for five test types in a single publication by Consumers Union (CU) for 1986-1988 vehicles. Standard loglinear statistical formulations (i.e., multiplicative models of interactions) are used with data from this and supplementary sources to develop coefficients estimating the percent fuel economy gain per percent change in engine/vehicle design characteristic. The coefficients are developed for the five different test conditions evaluated by CU and are compared with each other on the basis of attributes of the tests. The insights of engineering models are used to develop expectations regarding the shift in size of coefficients as driving cycles change.