Eric, I thought about this quite some time ago and concluded that it was an inaccurate and misleading way to report data. While this would be ideal in controlled circumstances, the fact that our sampling is NOT controlled means that significance of a car's data depends solely on distance traveled. This doesn't take into account the variety of variables (temp, trip time, speed, etc.) that should also be taken into consideration. As a result, we'd end up with a figure, but it won't be usable.

The database currently reports the median reported lifetime mileage from a voluntary sample of hybrid owners. Say some crazy driver drove 1,000,000 miles in -20 degree weather for 3 minutes at a time. No big deal.

What result would normalizing bring? Say that same crazy driver was normalized. He'd skew the average by gigantic proportions, lowering the average mileage and influencing the overall figure when he really ought not to. His temperature and trip time are NOT related to what REAL hybrid owners drive.

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