Autoblog

EPA, DOT unveil updated window stickers [w/video]

Autoblog Staff — Wed, 25 May 2011 11:27:00 EST

Filed under: Car Buying, Government/Legal

Electric vehicle label - Click above for more labels

Updated United States fuel economy labeling, unveiled on Wednesday, includes additional information on plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles, and highlights other advanced technologies aimed at reducing gasoline consumption and tailpipe emissions.

The redesigned window stickers, required on all 2013 models, enables consumers to quickly compare fuel savings for different types of vehicles, whether they rely on gasoline or some type of alternative fuel. For example, the labels display estimates of how much fuel or electricity would be required to drive 100 miles and how much time is needed to charge a plug-in vehicles like the Chevrolet Volt and Nissan Leaf.

Lisa Jackson, administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), says the reason for the redesigned labels is to give consumers, "the best possible information about which cars on the lot offer the greatest fuel economy and the best environmental performance." The EPA developed the updated labels with assistance from the Department of Transportation.

Click here (pdf) for a detailed look at all of the revised fuel economy labels and follow the jump to view video on the labels' Smartphone "QR Code." Let us know your thoughts on the updated labels by voicing your opinion in the Comments, as well.

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EPA, DOT unveil updated window stickers [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 25 May 2011 11:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EPA and DOT drop letter grades from window stickers

Autoblog Staff — Mon, 23 May 2011 10:30:00 EST

Filed under: Government/Legal

EPA/DOT Proposed Fuel Economy Labels - Click above for high-res versions

It seems that the Average Joe isn't the only one who thinks that the Environmental Protection Agency's proposed letter grades on windows stickers are both confusing and too subjective for the government to assign.

According to The Wall Street Journal, the Obama administration has scrapped plans to assign letter grades - ranging from A to D - to passenger vehicles based on fuel efficiency. Instead, the updated labels, which will reportedly be unveiled next week, will include more info to help buyers judge a vehicle's projected gasoline costs and CO2 emissions.

Automakers have argued that the letter grade proposal would put the government in the position of making value judgments, which some auto industry lobbyists vehemently oppose. Says Auto Alliance spokesman Wade Newton:

The addition of a large, brightly colored letter grade may confuse the public about what is being graded and it risks alienating the consumer who has a valid need for a vehicle that does not achieve an 'A'" based on greenhouse gas emissions.

Dan Becker, director of Safe Climate Campaign, counters:

It is deeply disappointing that the Obama administration abandoned [assigning letter grades]. It's appalling that the car makers, some of whom we bailed out, bludgeoned the administration into submission.

The WSJ quotes a person familiar with the administration's internal deliberations as saying, "Even within agencies, there were differences of opinion." What do you think, would letter grades be too subjective?

EPA and DOT drop letter grades from window stickers originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 23 May 2011 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Survey: Consumers find proposed new fuel economy labels confusing

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 17:40:00 EST

Filed under: Hybrid, Government/Legal, Electric, Diesel

EPA/DOT Proposed Fuel Economy Labels - Click above for high-res versions

It's always a tough road to hoe when it comes time to make wholesale changes to something consumers know and are comfortable with - just ask Car and Driver. But, progress is progress, and sometimes a redesign is necessary in order to keep pace with the times.

Such is the case with today's fuel economy labels. Although we all understand what miles per gallon means (well, mostly...) and what kind of figures we should expect from a given type of vehicle, the future has plenty in store that will drastically change all of that; namely, electric cars and plug-in hybrids. That being the case, the Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Transportation were charged with designing completely revised fuel economy labels for new vehicles at the dealership.

Judging by the response from our earlier article on the subject, consumers are split on the new stickers' effectiveness. A new study from Siegel+Gale seems to confirm this suspicion. The full details can be found in the press release after the break and from this PDF, but the gist is as follows:

Two-thirds of respondents preferred the horizontal option over the vertical option (see here), but 38-percent still found something confusing about the winning label. A resounding 86 percent said that miles per gallon was the most important figure, while 68 percent cared most about greenhouse gas emissions.

As for us, we're thinking that much of the problem lies with the fact that the public at large still doesn't understand electric vehicles and, more specifically, extended-range electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids. Many of the features consumers say they could do without were added to the labels in an attempt to give an accurate representation of electric vehicle mileage benefits.

Gallery: EPA/DOT Proposed Fuel Economy Labels

[Source: Siegel+Gale]

Continue reading Survey: Consumers find proposed new fuel economy labels confusing

Survey: Consumers find proposed new fuel economy labels confusing originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 29 Sep 2010 17:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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New fuel economy labels proposed by EPA and DOT

John Neff — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 13:58:00 EST

Filed under: Government/Legal

EPA/DOT Proposed Fuel Economy Labels - Click above for high-res versions

According to the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, the Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Transportation are charged with designing new fuel economy labels for vehicle stickers that appear in the window of new vehicles at the dealership. Today the two agencies have put forth a pair of design proposals and are asking the public to comment on which they like better and why.

Both labels have been designed to better incorporate new vehicle types that aren't represented well by the current labels, including mainly electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles. In addition to information already provided (fuel economy and estimated annual fuel cost), the new labels would also add such things as indicators for carbon dioxide and other smog-promoting emissions, fuel cost savings compared to an average gasoline-powered vehicle of the same model year and even a QR code that allows smartphones to collect the data.

In order to accommodate the growing crop of EVs and plug-in hybrids, the new proposed labels would also translate the energy usage of such vehicles into a miles per gallon equivalent, or MPGe. In the case of the first label design (the tall, thin one), a letter grade would also be featured prominently that corresponds to a vehicle's overall environmental performance.

You can check out both designs in the gallery below, or head over to epa.gov/fueleconomy and tell these agencies what you think directly. Either way, a new label's on its way, so speak now or forever hold your tongue.

Gallery: EPA/DOT Proposed Fuel Economy Labels

[Source: EPA]

New fuel economy labels proposed by EPA and DOT originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 30 Aug 2010 13:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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