EPA's upcoming rating should bring sense back to MPG ratings
It's no secret that the EPA's mileage rating are not an accurate reflection of how many miles per gallon a car will get when driven in real-world circumstances (i.e., everyday). J.D. Power and associates came out with a study recently that found that not only did hybrids only get about nine more mile per gallon than a comparable standard vehicle, consumers didn't really know that hybrids aren't that much more efficient than their gas-only versions. But why is this? part of the answer lies in the inflated mileage ratings assigned by the Environmental Protection Agency.
An article in Florida's The Ledger reminds us that the EPA rating system hasn't changed in 20 years but cars have (standard air conditioning, anyone?). This is one faactor that leads to the high numbers. Thankfully, the EPA is going to change their process for 2008 and while this will give the MPG numbers on dealer stickers a sharp drop (between 10 and 30 percent is the expectation), it's high time we have more accurate ratings about the cars we drive. Since cunsumers do pay attention to MPG ratings, I hope these lowered, more accurate numbers will encourage automakers to develop cleaner cars, cars that don't lie to us from the first time we see them on the lot.
[Source: The Ledger]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Craig 4:23PM (10/16/2006)
While I think having an accurate estimate of MPG based on real-world driving is nice to have, the reality is that it is more important to have a consistent standard that correlates to actual mpg. This allows us to compare cars accurately, and trade-off fuel efficiency with other factors (cost, features, etc.).
So, what's the big deal if every car all of the sudden shifts down by 10%? I guess it is a big deal for the car companies if the CAFE standards don't change, but I bet they will shift them accordingly.
A more interesting question to me is if we need a different test standard for hybrids, since the mpg seems much more sensitive to how you drive than normal ICEs...
Reply
Jimmy 5:55PM (10/16/2006)
#1 "I guess it is a big deal for the car companies if the CAFE standards don't change, but I bet they will shift them accordingly"
To quote the EPA:
"EPA’s proposal has no impact on the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) program. There are separate regulations concerning the test methods and procedures to determine the fuel economy values under the CAFE program, which is administered by the Department of Transporta-tion."
See http://www.epa.gov/fueleconomy/420f06009.pdf
The EPA's current testing is totally unrealistic. A good run down of the history is here: http://www.caranddriver.com/columns/10257/the-steering-column.html
Reply