UPDATE: There is a "Letter to the Editor" printed in the 8-24-2004 USA Today newspaper from Margo Oge, director of the Office of Transportation Air Quality, U.S. E.P.A. in Washington.

Apparently, they are getting the message that their mpg rating system is indeed flawed and outdated. Here is a clip of her letter, NOT used by permission:

"While estimates have been a good tool for comparing fuel economy of different vehicles, the test procedures...have been in place since the 1970s and have been adjusted only once, 20 years ago. Many things have changed since then: Speed limits are higher, congestion has increased, and more vehicles are equipped with power hungry accessories such as A/C. Our initial analysis indicates that if these and other factors were taken into account, they would change the fuel economy values on stickers. The U.S. EPA has a joint responsibility with the auto industry to provide credible info to consumers about the fuel economy they can expect from their vehicles. The EPA has received more than 33,000 comments from a wide range of stakeholders indicating broad public support to update its methods by which the estimates are calculated. We have begun a collaborative process to provide more credible fuel economy information to consumers, and look forward to working with all of the stakeholders in this effort. We plan to propose appropriate changes in the next year."

You know the automakers are going to fight this TOOTH and NAIL !! I hope something substantial manages to get done though.

As we all know, the answer to the question, "Can you get EPA numbers by just driving like a normal person" is NO right now. Maybe someday it can be yes.

LAterz...............