- Jan 7, 2002
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Drivers would get lower -- but more accurate -- miles-per-gallon estimates on cars they buy starting with the 2008 model year under new testing standards that are expected to be announced Thursday in Detroit at the North American International Auto Show.
Automakers and consumer advocates have been calling on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to revamp its tests, developed in the 1970s, saying faster highways and congested roads make the EPA's numbers, derived from laboratory testing, misleading. Consumer Reports said last year that among 303 vehicles it tested, 90% fell short of the fuel economy on their window sticker, some by as much as 50%.
While the changes wouldn't immediately affect the way automakers meet federal fuel economy standards, they could push more consumers toward higher-mileage vehicles in the face of roller-coaster gasoline prices.
The EPA "needs to close the gap between what consumers experience in the real world and what they see at the dealership," said Jason Mark, director of the Clean Vehicles Program with the Union of Concerned Scientists.
According to three people familiar with the proposal, who didn't want to be named for fear of damaging relations with the EPA, the agency will change its tests in two stages.
The first stage, which would go into effect with 2008 model-year vehicles, would essentially lower mileage results by a set percentage to reflect the drain of air-conditioning and other accessories.
The adjustment might reduce the results of city mileage by up to 13%, sources said, but it wasn't immediately clear.
For cars and trucks built in the 2011 model year and beyond, the agency will propose a larger change to testing that would add three tests currently used to measure emissions to the mileage standard tests, coming up with new numbers that will likely be even lower than the previous figures.http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2005601100425
Automakers and consumer advocates have been calling on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to revamp its tests, developed in the 1970s, saying faster highways and congested roads make the EPA's numbers, derived from laboratory testing, misleading. Consumer Reports said last year that among 303 vehicles it tested, 90% fell short of the fuel economy on their window sticker, some by as much as 50%.
While the changes wouldn't immediately affect the way automakers meet federal fuel economy standards, they could push more consumers toward higher-mileage vehicles in the face of roller-coaster gasoline prices.
The EPA "needs to close the gap between what consumers experience in the real world and what they see at the dealership," said Jason Mark, director of the Clean Vehicles Program with the Union of Concerned Scientists.
According to three people familiar with the proposal, who didn't want to be named for fear of damaging relations with the EPA, the agency will change its tests in two stages.
The first stage, which would go into effect with 2008 model-year vehicles, would essentially lower mileage results by a set percentage to reflect the drain of air-conditioning and other accessories.
The adjustment might reduce the results of city mileage by up to 13%, sources said, but it wasn't immediately clear.
For cars and trucks built in the 2011 model year and beyond, the agency will propose a larger change to testing that would add three tests currently used to measure emissions to the mileage standard tests, coming up with new numbers that will likely be even lower than the previous figures.http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2005601100425
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