EPA Mileage Question

I keep hearing that EPA mileage testing changed for 2008 models, so city/highway MPG numbers will be lower.

Will the CAFE (corporate average fuel economy) standards be lowered to compensate for new EPA test methods, or does this really amount to a stealth increase in fuel economy for the USA?

Reply to
Bill Tuthill
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The EPA has set city and highway laboratory tests.

The average of these are used for the CAFE standards.

For the Moroney labels (the window stickers and published numbers from the manufacturers and fueleconomy.gov), the city and highway test results are then discounted by some multiplier derived in the early

1980s to more accurately reflect American's driving at that time.

According to:

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the new labels as of the 2008 model year, the EPA is still doingthe old city/highway tests and reporting those, but is also doingadditional tests (to represent faster speeds and acceleration, airconditioner use, and colder outside temperatures) and will also bereporting those too. So, it looks like the city/highway test cycles remain the same, so CAFE is still based off of those old tests (without any adjustment), while the published fuel economy numbers will be changing (moving downward for all vehicles) thanks to adding in 3 new tests.

More info:

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"How Vehicles are Tested"
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"Fuel Economy Tests"
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"EPA's Fuel Economy Programs"
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"Fuel Economy Guide Data Files"by the US EPA

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"Real MPG: Putting the Truth in Your Tank" by the EnvironmentalWorking Group

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"FUEL ECONOMY FALSEHOODS: How government misrepresentation of fueleconomy hinders efforts to reduce global warming and US dependence onforeign oil" by the Bluewater Network, 2002

Reply to
mrv

Apparently the numbers on the window stickers and the numbers that auto makers are required to meet for CAFE standards are different because the former are arbitrarily adjusted to make them more "realistic". I'd rather rely on the Consumer Reports mileage figures because they seem to be a lot more realistic.

What I don't understand are the new standards for SUVs and trucks. Instead of making them meet a single average, they have to meet different standards based on their size group, and this means that some makers of the worst gas guzzling SUVs won't have to improve the fuel economy of their vehicles very much, but a company like Subaru, which makes mostly smaller and more fuel-efficient SUVs, will have to improve their fuel economy a lot.

Reply to
larry moe 'n curly

When you say "former," the fuel economy figures posted on the Monroney Label are not arbitrarily adjusted - they are detemined by EPA fuel economy measuring standards.

There is a need and consumer demand for SUV's and trucks, and it is unrealistic to expect a large vehicle to get the same fuel economy as a small one. The new standards do require the larger vehicles to improve fuel economy, and consumer demand will also encourage the automakers to improve fuel economy. For example, while the 15 ~ 16 overall real-world MPG for the

2008 Tundra and Silverado sounds terrible when compared to a 30 MPG Corolla, it is much better than the 12 ~ 13 MPG that a vehicle with comparable payload capacity would have gotten even 2 vehicle generations ago.
Reply to
Ray O

Then I would be more likely to buy a Subaru! Currently the RAV-4 gets better gas mileage and has more cargo space.

Reply to
Bill Tuthill

Forget about cars and truck. According to the latest reports, if we REALLY want to reduce the so called greenhouse gasses, we need to tell PATA to go the hell and eat more BEEF. Either that or put catalytic converters on cows asses LOL

mike

Reply to
Mike Hunter

messagenews: snipped-for-privacy@m58g2000cwm.googlegroups.com...

Yes, the same EPA tests are used for the CAFE standards and the figures used on the Monroney label.

An average of the raw city and highway MPG data is used for the CAFE standards.

However, for the Monroney label (window sticker and fueleconomy.gov listing) since the mid-1980s through 2007, the EPA test results are discounted (lowered) by a multiplier, down 10% for city and 22% for highway. Yes, this was to make them more "realistic" to the early

1980s American driver. The numbers you see listed on the Monroney label is not the actual results of the EPA tests, but this lowered number based on the tests.
Reply to
mrv

Doesn't the EPA apply an adjustment multiplier that's varied over the years?

But by requiring greater improvements for small SUVs, the government may discourage auto makers from producing them over larger SUVs. So like the current loophole that gives manufacturers a second CAFE just for trucks and SUVs, it could backfire and result in higher, not lower, gas consumption.

Reply to
larry moe 'n curly

Actually, what we need to do is eat less beef and drink less milk (except for babies who should get their milk from a different source, namely, mommy).

If we eat less beef and milk, farmers will stop growing these animals.

You have obviously never been near my nephew. I swear you need a catalytic convertor for his butt, too.

Jeff

Jeff

Reply to
Jeff

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