By IB Times Staff Reporter: Subscribe to IB's RSS feed
August 31, 2010 8:27 AM EDT
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is proposing to give four environmental grades to vehicles ranging from A to D depending on their fuel efficiency and reduction in greenhouse gas emission, as part of their move to encourage electric and hybrid vehicles. The agency has posted a comparative labeling of vehicles on their website and sought public reaction to the labels.
All new cars and light-duty trucks sold in the U.S. are required to have a label that displays fuel economy information to compare vehicles. Currently, vehicles display the label or “window sticker” by the gas tank graphic and city and highway Miles Per Gallon (MPG) information.
EPA, which has provided fuel economy estimates in City and Highway MPG values for more than 30 years, has tied up with National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to update the labels to provide consumers with simple energy and environmental comparisons for all vehicles, including electric vehicles (EV), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV), and conventional gasoline/diesel vehicles.
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The agencies are incorporating new ratings on fuel economy, greenhouse gas emissions, and other air pollutants onto the label under the Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) of 2007, said a statement.
"The first label is a bit different than the current label. The first thing you'll notice - and it's going to jump out at you - is that it has a letter grade," said Gina McCarthy, assistant administrator at the EPA.
Giving an example of a vehicle rated a “B” for fuel economy and tailpipe greenhouse gases, it said the vehicle will save $1,900 in fuel expenses over five years compared to the average vehicle. The estimated 5-year fuel cost of this vehicle ($8,100) is $1,900 lower than that of the average gasoline vehicle ($10,000).
The vehicle uses 3.8 gallons of gasoline to travel 100 miles for combined city and highway driving. This is an energy efficiency rate and unlike MPG, it relates directly to the amount of fuel used, the statement said.
The new labels will provide information on a new web-based interactive tool that can also be accessed by smartphones to help consumers assess a vehicle’s performance.
Once approved, the new labels would appear on the windows of 2012-year model vehicles.
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