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you are here http://www.cars101.com/cafe.html
updated 12/22/07
Updates and
current new are below
Cafe' Standards, with
definitions
Links there
are some links below
Dec 20, 2007 Emissions: Lawsuits were immediately filed over the EPAs decision to deny California and 16 other states the right to set their own standards for carbon dioxide emissions from automobiles! The list of states is below.
EPA administrator Stephen Johnson overruled
the unanimous opinion of his legal and technical staff and blocked proposed
California emission rules, saying they pre-empted by federal authority
and made moot by the energy bill signed into law by President Bush on Wednesday.
17 states had waited two years for the
Bush administration to issue a ruling on an application to set stricter
air quality standards than those adopted by the federal government. The
decision, known as a Clean Air Act waiver, was the first time California
was refused permission to impose its own pollution rules. The federal government
had previously granted the state more than 50 waivers.
The emissions standards California proposed
in 2004 — but never approved by the federal government — would have forced
automakers to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 30% in new cars and light
trucks by 2016, with the cutbacks to begin in 2009 models.
That would have translated into roughly
43 mpg for cars and some light trucks and about 27 mpg for heavier trucks
and SUVs.
The new federal law will require automakers
to meet a 35-mile-per-gallon fleetwide standard for cars and trucks sold
in the US by 2020. It does not address carbon dioxide emissions, but such
emissions would be reduced as cars were forced to become more fuel efficient.
States using or planning to use California
emission standards include California, Oregon, Washington, Arizona, New
Mexico, Utah, Colorado, Florida, Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Connecticut,
Rhode Island, Massacusetts, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania.
December 12, 2006 New fuel
economy standards for 2008 models will benefit from new more accurate EPA
testing methods.
12/12 New fuel economy standards for 2008
models will benefit from new more accurate EPA testing methods.
(Washington, D.C. - Dec. 11, 2006) To
provide American consumers with improved information when shopping for
cars and trucks, EPA is issuing new methods to determine the miles per
gallon (MPG) estimates that appear on new vehicle window stickers. The
new standards will take effect for model year 2008 vehicles, which may
be available for sale as soon as next month.
"EPA's new fuel economy sticker ensures
American motorists won't be stuck with higher than anticipated charges
at the pump," said EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson. "Consumers can
get more bang for their buck by considering fuel use while shopping for
cars and trucks – saving money on refueling costs while helping protect
our environment."
EPA's new methods bring MPG estimates
closer to consumers' actual fuel use, by including factors such as high
speeds, aggressive accelerations, air conditioning use and driving in cold
temperatures. Model year 2008 vehicles will be the first to receive the
new MPG estimates. Currently, EPA relies on data from two laboratory tests
to determine the city and highway fuel economy estimates. The test methods
for calculating these estimates were last revised in 1984.
more from the EPA
Automakers on economy www.mileagewillvary.com
December 29, 2005 EPA fuel economy
ratings are frequently higher than can be actually realized in normal driving
and new testing methods are in the planning stages.
Engine size, heavy traffic, increased
commute time and distance, the use of air conditioning, vehicle weight
all have changed and the current testing standards are out of date.
"The Jeep Liberty Diesel 4WD, rated at
22 mpg in the city by EPA, got only 11 mpg in the test. The Honda Civic
Hybrid Sedan, rated at 48 mpg in the city, could manage only 26 -- a 46
percent lower rating. And the popular Chrysler 300 C was cited at 17 mpg
in the city by EPA, vs. 10 by Consumer Reports. Other outlets also have
found considerable discrepancies in mileage figures. AAA, which also has
called for a change in EPA fuel economy standards, tested a number of 2003
and 2004 models and found that a 2003 Chrysler PT Cruiser, rated at 20
city/26 highway by the EPA, could only achieve 17.5 mpg. A 2003 BMW Z4,
with an EPA rating of 21/29, was calculated at 15 mpg.
Current methods used by the EPA assume
that drivers won't go over 56 miles per hour in the city and 60 miles per
hours on the highway, and that drivers won't accelerate by more than 3.3
miles per second.
Critics say the current EPA tests don't
capture time spent idling in traffic; they say many cars spend almost two-thirds
of their time in stop-and-go traffic. EPA also doesn't turn on their air
conditioning when testing cars or take into account newer accessories that
impact mileage. The agency also tests hand-built prototypes provided by
the manufacturers." Read more from the
Pittsburg Post-Gazette 12/29/05
August 24, 2005
New rules proposed slightly increase fuel
standards in light trucks (under 8500 pounds)
Current rules calls for fuel economy of
22.5mpg for 2008 models, 23.1mpg for 2009, and 23.5 mpg 2010 averaged over
the manufacturer’s entire light truck fleet.
The proposed CAFE stadards would base
the required economy on the size of the vehicle's footprint (wheelbase
x
track). There would be 6 size catagories
and the new proposed standards would required less than a 2mpg improvement
by 2011!
CAFE is an acronym for 'Corporate
Average Fuel Economy'.
It's the average of a car company's overall
car and light truck fuel economy.
The Act was passed after the 1973-74 Arab
oil embargo with the goal of doubling economy by the 1985 models (calender
year 1984).
The Energy Policy Conservation Act was
enacted by Congress in 1975 by adding Title V “Improving Automotive Efficiency”
to the Motor Vehicle Information and Cost Savings Act and it established
CAFE standards for passenger cars and light trucks.
Who? National Highway Traffic Safety (NHTSA), part of the Dept of Transportation, is responsible for CAFE. They also crash tests cars etc
How? The EPA calculates the average fuel economy for each car manufacturer by a) The manufacturer provides its own fuel economy data, or b) the EPA tests the car it in its Office of Transportation & Air Quality facility in Ann Arbor, MI.
Failure to meet: current penalty for not meeting CAFE standards are $5.50 per tenth of a mile per gallon for each tenth (1/10) under the target value times the total volume of those vehicles manufactured for a given model year.
When is a car a truck?
If a car company (ie Subaru, Toyota, Ford,
Nissan, Merecedes Benz , Rover, Honda, Chevy etc) wants to sell high-profit
vehicles like SUVs, sports cars, trucks etc with mediocre economy ratings
they need to offset those vehicles with high economy cars or pay a penalty
which is bad for both economic and public-relations reasons.
But American consumers want power! So
for example, the 2005 Subaru
Outback is considered a truck (see 'define a truck' below) for CAFE
standards partly because the new high-performance 4cylinder turbo and 6cylinder
models get lower economy!
Define a truck To consider
a passenger vehicle a truck all seats except the driver's can be removed
or folded to create a flat cargo floor.
That includes many current (2005) car-chassis
based crossover vehicles such as the Chrysler PT Cruiser and Pacifica,
Toyota RAV and Highlander, Honda CRV and Odyssey minivan, Ford Escape and
Freestyle, Chevrolet Equinox and Saturn Vue and yes, the Subaru Outback
which is considered a truck starting with the 2005 model.
GVWR? Gross Vehicle Weight
Rating. CAFE standards first applied to trucks under 6,000 pounds GVWR,
and this was increased in 1992 to 8,500 pounds where it still is. See 'truck
standards' below for more details.
Car standards started in 1978
The goal was to double the 1974 passenger
car fuel economy average by 1985 to 27.5 mpg in small increments.
1978 18 mpg
1979 19 mpg
1980 20 mpg
1981-84 22, 24, 26, and 27mpg
1985 27.5 mpg
1986-1989, passenger car standards were
lowered.
1990 27.5 mpg, where it has remained
Truck standards started in 1979.
1979 17.2 mpg for 2wd, 15.8 mpg 4x4 for
vehicle gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) under 6,000 pounds.
1980 GVWR increased to of 8,500 pounds
or less.
1919 2wd 20.7mpg, 4x4 19.1mpg,
1992 20.2mpg for all 2wd and 4x4 under
8,500pounds
1996 Congress froze it at 20.7mpg, freeze
lifted December 18, 2001.
March 31, 2003, NHTSA issued new light
truck standards: 21.0 mpg for 2005 models, 21.6mpg for 2006 models, and
22.2mpg for 2007 models
NHTSA announced 12/2003 plans to review
CAFE standards for trucks because the 25year old rules exempt big SUVs
like Hummer, Excursion which are over the 8,500 pound limit. Changing the
GVWR limit to 10,500 would eliminate that issue.
Hybrids- Alternative Fuel Vehicles
CAFE has special standards for alternative
and dual fuel vehicles. These will increase the manufacturer's rating which
make hybrids a good deal for everyone because it offsets those low-economy,
high-profit trucks and SUVs.
Alternative fuel vehicles
use something other than gas or diesel, which includes natural gas, hydrogen,
propane, ethanol, bio-diesel etc. The CAFE standard for these is determined
by dividing the fuel economy in equivalent miles per gallon of fuel (gas,
diesel) by 0.15. Thus a 15 mpg alternative fuel vehicle would be rated
as 100 mpg.
Dual-fuel vehicles use
either the alternative fuel and/or gas or diesel interchangeably. The rating
for those is the average of the fuel economy on gasoline or diesel and
the fuel economy on the alternative fuel vehicle divided by .15. For example,
this calculation procedure turns a dual fuel vehicle that averages 25 mpg
on gasoline or diesel with the above 100 mpg alternative fuel to attain
the 40 mpg value for CAFE purposes.
For 1993-2004, the maximum CAFE increase
for dual fuel vehicles in a manufacturer’s passenger car or light truck
fleet is 1.2 mpg.
LINKS
Fuel Economy related, Hybrid and Alternative
Fuel research sites
Fuel
Costs- what you spend in a year
http://www.fueleconomy.gov
EPA economy ratings by model
http://www.fuelwerks.com
A
very good Alt Fuel site here in Seattle, Dr. Dans
http://www.eere.energy.gov/vehiclesandfuels/;
Government
sites on Hybrids etc :
http://www.gsa.gov/Portal/gsa/ep/contentView.do?P=FFF1&contentId=8060&contentType=GSA_OVERVIEW
http://www.altfuels.com/
alt fuel newsletter
http://afdcmap.nrel.gov/locator/LocatePane.asp
Locate
alt fuel filling stations
some sources: http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/rules/cafe/overview.htm
http://www.freep.com/money/autonews/cafe3e_20050303.htm
comments, links welcomed
contact