New Fuel Economy Window Stickers Chock Full ‘O Numbers

Business News/Analysis, Federal Agency/Executive Branch, Policy

August 30, 2010

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(Jalopnik) One of the draft window stickers released today will give buyers of 2012 models efficiency data for gas and electric vehicles. U.S. regulators want you to decide: How do you like letter grades? UPDATE: Automakers give it a “F.”

…A few more details based on a conference call with EPA and NHTSA officials along with government documents:

– The letter grades play on a curve that’s expected to rise over time, but favors anything that uses electricity for power. If the system was in use today, only EVs would score an A+, while plug-in hybrids would get plain A grades and traditional hybrids get A- marks. Gas-only cars top out at B+;a few trucks sneak into the B range, but most are solid C students. The only known D is the Ferrari 612 Scaglietti. (D grades are color coded bright orange.)

…- Despite several requests to put the charging times for EVs and plug-ins on the label, the agencies left it off, since they have no standards for measuring it. They also didn’t include “upstream” carbon emissions into letter grades, but would put that into the Internet data.

The EPA and NHTSA will take comments on the changes for the next two months. To see the changes and register your opinion, go here.

READ MORE and MORE (EPA) and MORE and MORE (Renewable Energy World)

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