By: John Kenvin
The EPA’s new fuel economy label for 2013 will soon be appearing on
vehicle window stickers at a dealer near you. Required for all 2013
model year vehicles (49 CFR Part 575), the revised EPA fuel economy
sticker includes a wealth of new vehicle information regarding vehicle
fuel consumption and emissions with such data as greenhouse gas
emissions, smog rating, and fuel cost over a 5 year period. These
revised labels may begin appearing on 2012 vehicles by voluntary early
compliance so you should familiarize yourself with the new comparison
and fuel economy information as soon as possible to take advantage of
this information for your next vehicle purchase.
The "NHTSA and EPA believe that these changes will help consumers to
make more informed vehicle purchase decisions, particularly as the
future automotive marketplace provides more diverse vehicle technologies
from which consumers may choose." Federal Register, Vol. 76, 39478. The
EPA cites some of the following benefits of its new label as:
* New ways to compare energy use and cost between new-technology
cars that use electricity and conventional cars that are
gasoline-powered.
* Useful estimates on how much consumers will save
or spend on fuel over the next five years compared to the average new
vehicle.
* Easy-to-read ratings of how a model compares to all
others for smog emissions and emissions of pollution that contribute to
climate change
EPA-420-F-11-017 May 2011.
An example of the revised label taken from the EPA’s website is shown
below. Created for a fictitious gasoline powered vehicle you can see the
familiar mpg Fuel Economy rating in the upper left corner. Containing
new emissions and consumption information, this new label also
incorporates additional information for consideration such as: annual
fuel cost (lower left), comparison fuel economy on a 1 to 10 scale, and
comparison fuel cost over a 5 year period (upper right).
Need even more information on the fuel economy and environmental factors
for this vehicle? The new label also incorporates a QR code for those
who want to do further research on their smartphones. Smog rating, fuel
usage per 100 miles travelled, greenhouse gas emissions rating, and CO2
grams emitted per mile travelled information also included on the label
for the data geeks in all of us. Further detailed information on the
information contained in the new fuel economy label can be found here in
the official EPA brochure:
http://www.epa.gov/otaq/carlabel/420f11017.pdf
A reminder here is in order on the accuracy of any information contained
on the fuel economy label, and that is, the economy ratings for any
category are merely estimates. The manufacturer makes no promises
regarding the accuracy of this information, and the EPA always advises
that the information presented will vary based on driving habits and
conditions. “The EPA estimates are meant to be a general guideline for
consumers, particularly to compare the relative fuel economy of one
vehicle to another.” EPA420-R-06-017, December 2006. Keep in mind when
reviewing this data that its primary purpose is for vehicle-to-vehicle
comparisons, not as an absolute indicator of the fuel economy you will
achieve with the vehicle.
The 2013 labels contain a wealth of information not previously
available, allowing consumers more access to fuel economy information on
vehicles than ever before, yet presented in an easily digestible
package. Further, the QR code in the lower right allows limitless
possibilities for vehicle comparison information supplemental to the
paper label. The additional information required on the EPA label, as
prompted by the Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) of 2007,
should make better consumers out of all of us when it comes to fuel
economy and greenhouse emissions. Hopefully, as we begin to consider
items like grams of CO2 emitted per mile and smog ratings in our buying
decisions, the manufacturers will also consider them in their build
decisions, and continue to strive for improved fuel efficiency and
reduced greenhouse gas emissions in their future vehicle designs.
Labels:
GSM Player
,
Transportation
No Comment to " New Vehicle EPA Fuel Economy Label for 2013 "