The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is seriously considering a proposal that would require all manufacturers to test their vehicles on the road and not just inside labs to verify mileage claims.
"At this early stage, it is premature for us to speculate on what form a proposal may take," the agency said in a statement. "EPA will engage interested stakeholders proactively before making any proposal."
The EPA is aiming for more realistic fuel ratings so as to avoid frequent consumer complaints. Air resistance and rolling friction are just some of the factors that should be taken into account.
“Some automakers already do this [type of real-world testing], but we are establishing a regulatory requirement for all automakers,” Chris Grundler, director of the EPA’s Office of Transportation and Air Quality, told The Wall Street Journal.
The proposal also would make it difficult for automakers to manipulate lab results to deliver higher mileage claims, the newspaper read. Right now, most fuel economy tests are performed by automakers, and the information is later shared with and reviewed by the EPA.
You may recall that Ford, Kia, and Hyundai had to revise their own fuel ratings on many vehicles after discovering significant disparities between real-world numbers and those posted on the sticker.
Source : autonews.com
"At this early stage, it is premature for us to speculate on what form a proposal may take," the agency said in a statement. "EPA will engage interested stakeholders proactively before making any proposal."
The EPA is aiming for more realistic fuel ratings so as to avoid frequent consumer complaints. Air resistance and rolling friction are just some of the factors that should be taken into account.
“Some automakers already do this [type of real-world testing], but we are establishing a regulatory requirement for all automakers,” Chris Grundler, director of the EPA’s Office of Transportation and Air Quality, told The Wall Street Journal.
The proposal also would make it difficult for automakers to manipulate lab results to deliver higher mileage claims, the newspaper read. Right now, most fuel economy tests are performed by automakers, and the information is later shared with and reviewed by the EPA.
You may recall that Ford, Kia, and Hyundai had to revise their own fuel ratings on many vehicles after discovering significant disparities between real-world numbers and those posted on the sticker.
Source : autonews.com