MPG standards not

Study says vehicles

Kansas City Star, David Goldstein
Published July 14, 2006

WASHINGTON | -WASHINGTON | Fuel efficiency estimates on new-car stickers are unrealistically high, a new study by an environmental group maintains. The miles-per-gallon standards should be based on "real world" driving conditions or, better yet, the cars should be designed to meet the fuel consumption advertised by auto manufacturers, said the Environmental Working Group , a nonprofit research center. The group's study, released this week, said automakers were not meeting federal mpg standards - last adjusted by the Environmental Protection Agency in 1985 - requiring that passenger cars average 27.5 mpg and light trucks average 20.0 to 21.7 mpg. But based on data from various federal agencies, the "real world mpg" is closer to 21.7 for cars and 16.3 for trucks and sport-utility vehicles. The difference between sticker claims and real-world driving, according to the study, is the equivalent of 710 million barrels of oil annually, or 20 percent of the oil imported by the United States last year. "As gas prices hit $3 a gallon and looks like it will continue to rise, and we're in a war in the Middle East, and everyone is very concerned about energy independence and reducing energy costs for families, the biggest single solution to the problem is hiding in plain sight," said Richard Wiles, the environmental group's senior vice president. "Higher-mileage cars and trucks." Gloria Bergquist, a spokeswoman for the Auto Alliance , an industry trade association, agreed that government tests should better reflect "real world" driving conditions. But she defended the numbers posted on new-car stickers as "useful to consumers for comparison shopping." Consumers should have more accurate information when they make choices on new car purchases, the environmental group said. Its study found that the government's fuel efficiency tests did not account for faster acceleration rates, higher highway speeds, passengers, and things such as air conditioning. The tests are conducted on a dynamometer, which measures engine performance off road. The EPA said this year that it intended to take real-life factors into account and lower city mpg estimates by 10 percent to 20 percent and highway estimates by 5 percent. But EPA spokesman John Millet said changing what was on the sticker would not change fuel economy standards. "This is purely about consumer information." Congress has been debating CAFE (corporate average fuel economy) standards for years but has never been able to marshal the political support to raise them. Auto industry supporters argue that tougher standards could cost jobs.