The EPA Unveils New Fuel Economy Labels

Edmunds.com

The EPA Unveils New Fuel Economy Labels

The EPA's revised labels for new cars are the most dramatic overhaul to fuel economy labels since the federal government began requiring them for cars more than three decades ago.

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whatfuture

It's ironic this article talks about how many barrels of oil will be saved over the life of the new fuel economy standards. Since most gas is now 10% ethanol, the ethanol takes more oil to produce it than just using gas. (Finally there are plenty of sources on the internet to back that up.) It make the MPG lower. It also causes faster engine wear and tear and degrades gaskets causing leaks. We recently attended a basic maintenance class in our small, progressive city where the instructor announced this. I knew it when wrapping up some courses in 2006 but few people realized it back then. Non-ethanol gas is best but hard to find and very expensive.

So, saving 1.8 billion barrels of oil sounds useless here when that's likely being used to produce ethanol. In the meantime, ethanol 15% is trying to make its way onto the market - that will really kill cars faster and is probably why some car companies are fighting it.

whatfuture

It's ironic this article talks about how many barrels of oil will be saved over the life of the new fuel economy standards. Since most gas is now 10% ethanol, the ethanol takes more oil to produce it than just using gas. (Finally there are plenty of sources on the internet to back that up.) It make the MPG lower. It also causes faster engine wear and tear and degrades gaskets causing leaks. We recently attended a basic maintenance class in our small, progressive city where the instructor announced this. I knew it when wrapping up some courses in 2006 but few people realized it back then. Non-ethanol gas is best but hard to find and very expensive.

So, saving 1.8 billion barrels of oil sounds useless here when that's likely being used to produce ethanol. In the meantime, ethanol 15% is trying to make its way onto the market - that will really kill cars faster and is probably why some car companies are fighting it.