New report: Cars are more fuel-efficient

That applause you hear is for gains in fuel efficiency, as a report out  Tuesday shows that combustion engines are getting a better burn for the buck.

The average mileage for new vehicles sold in the U.S. last month reached a record high 24.9 mpg, according to Michael Sivak at the University of Michigan’s Transportation Research Institute. That’s up a fraction from July and a 4.8 mpg improvement since the institute began tracking the metric in October 2007. They still have a long way to go before reaching the White House’s goal of 54.5 mph by 2025.

The Michigan institute also calculates an index of the average monthly emissions of greenhouse gases for each driver in the U.S. That’s shown a 19 percent improvement since 2007.