I realize these three articles from USA Today are a bit dated but I think they illustrate that the more we buy Hybrids the more the Ad Writers will come under increasing pressure. They must be more honest or the government will move to make them more honest to the consumer.

I draw your attention to parts of the second article which states that tests are conducted at a room temperature of 75 degrees and Hybrids (and more so EVs) are known for performing at a much lower efficiency level at lower temperatures. Secondly, City Tests are 21-40 miles per hour and Highway 40-60 MPH (not real life today). My Escape's Mileage decreases markedly with each degree drop in operating outside temperature. Obviously, I look forward to Summer.
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Drivers upset as hybrids fall short on fuel economy
Getting 10%-15% less than posted
USA Today
by James R. Healey | Jun 11 '04

So many people have complained about disappointing fuel economy of gas-electric hybrid cars that the federal government is telling automakers to consider putting more realistic mileage labels on their cars or do a better job warning buyers that they won't get the advertised mileage.
Poor fuel economy has been among hybrid owners' top gripes, according to consultant J.D. Power and Associates, as much as three times as high as for other small cars and even surpassing that of owners of gas-thirsty sport-utility vehicles.

The Environmental Protection Agency has talked with hybrid makers "about our concerns over the complaints," says Chris Grundler, deputy director of EPA's transportation and air quality office.

EPA testing rates hybrids at 47 to 63 miles per gallon in combined city-highway driving, depending on model and equipment. Honda and Toyota, the only hybrid sellers, don't dispute that hybrids fail to deliver that. But they say hybrids' fuel-economy shortfall isn't much different from that of gas engines.

"Most of our cars get 10% to 15% less than the EPA (rating) in the real world," says Toyota spokesman Mike Michels. "A 10% to 15% variance looks a lot bigger on a 55-mpg (hybrid) car than on (a gas-power) one that gets 15 or 20."

Grundler says manufacturers can publicize any fuel economy numbers as long as they are no higher than what the vehicles receive from EPA. "They would simply print a different label based on information they have developed."

Hoping to clarify things for automakers, EPA is taking the unusual step of circulating this statement: "Long-standing EPA policy allows manufacturers to voluntarily use lower fuel-economy label values when they believe that a vehicle may be inappropriately represented by the EPA-calculated label."

But nobody's willing to go first. "If your competitor is advertising EPA (fuel economy ratings) and you're not, you're at a disadvantage," Honda spokesman Andy Boyd says. Instead, Honda has "definitely been stepping up our efforts" to tell buyers they might not get the fuel economy they expect.

The risk of disappointing mileage-conscious hybrid buyers will grow as more hybrids hit the market later this year.

"The last thing we want to do is discourage further development and market penetration of this (fuel-saving) technology," Grundler says.

"Potential reputation damage to the technology is a very valid point. We hope that doesn't come out of this," Michels says.

© Copyright 2004 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Co. Inc.
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Surprising ways EPA tests fuel economy
USA Today
by James R. Healey | Aug 18 '04

Fuel-economy estimates have been posted on new vehicles since 1975 models. They were intended as a guide to motorists seeking the best-possible fuel economy in the wake of the 1973 Arab oil embargo that caused gasoline shortages in the USA.
The tests today use better equipment but otherwise mimic those of the '70s. Human drivers operate the cars on dynamometers in test rooms kept at 75 degrees. The drivers match their speed, braking and idling to what's shown on a computer screen.

The test fuel is the same blend and quality sold by gas stations. But each batch is tested for consistency so that all tests are done with gas that's as close to identical as possible.

EPA says the city portion of the test averages about 21 miles per hour and includes 23 stops.

Speed in the highway portion generally stays above 40 miles per hour and tops out a tick below 60 miles per hour.

"The drivers are very good. The test results in general are very repeatable, usually within 1% or 2% and always within 3%," says Tom Schrodt of EPA's Laboratory Operations Division.

Perhaps surprisingly, fuel consumption never is directly measured.

It is calculated by analyzing the exhaust samples collected from each vehicle to see if anti-pollution regulations are being met.

"We don't drive it around the block and refill the tank. It's much more precise," says Chris Grundler, deputy director of EPA's office of transportation and air quality and head of the EPA lab in Ann Arbor, Mich., where testing is conducted.

"We can very precisely determine the amount of carbon in a gallon of gasoline, and we can precisely measure the amount of carbon that's left in the exhaust, allowing us to very accurately measure the amount of fuel consumed," Schrodt says.

"It's superior to any other way of trying to measure fuel consumption."

© Copyright 2004 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Co. Inc.
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Outdated car-mileage tests steer buyers off course
USA Today
Aug 20 '04

Today's debate: Vehicle fuel economy
Our view: Motorists' world has changed dramatically since 1974 tests adopted.

When car buyers go into a dealership, they view the sticker price as little more than a starting point for haggling. By contrast, the other numbers in the window -- estimates of the car's mileage in highway and city driving -- are considered immutable, scientific facts.

But as USA TODAY reported Wednesday, consumers can't trust the mileage numbers, either. Hard as it is to believe, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's test for estimating mileage hasn't changed since 1974, just after the nation's first oil crisis. The ratings don't account for vast changes in driving habits since then, ranging from faster highway speeds to more stops and starts on increasingly crowded roads.

As a result, the tests likely overstate the actual mileage vehicles get. According to the Union of Concerned Scientists, U.S. Energy Department data show that U.S. drivers average 10% worse mileage than the EPA numbers indicate. That amounts to an additional $20 billion a year in fuel costs for the nation.

The consumer's loss is a gain for the auto industry, which is opposed to revising mileage tests to make them more consistent with today's driving conditions. Why? Higher mileage figures help carmakers sell bigger vehicles that guzzle more gas -- and produce higher profits.

Sticking with flawed mileage estimates for so long is proof that the government, not to mention normally vigilant consumer and environmental groups, has been asleep at the wheel. The problem first came to light two years ago, when a little-known environmental group called the Bluewater Network filed a detailed analysis of why the tests need to be changed.

At a time when world oil prices are nearing a record $50 a barrel, consumers who want to make a sound decision on which vehicles to buy at least should expect an accurate estimate of how much gas they burn.

Instead, they get estimates that assume:

* Everyone's in the slow lane. The EPA tests assume no one drives more than 60 miles per hour. That may have been a valid assumption in 1974, when President Nixon signed legislation creating a national speed limit of 55. But since 1995, states have set the limits, often 65 or higher. And many drivers routinely cruise at 75 or more.

* Drivers are hot. The EPA tests don't account for air conditioning, which can cut mileage by as much as 21%. Yet virtually all cars now have air conditioning that can run steadily, especially in the South and West.

* Traffic's the same. U.S. roads have become much more congested in the past 30 years, resulting in more stop-and-go driving. But the 11-mile, 31-minute city-mileage test has not changed. Some critics also claim that the city tests underestimate the number of short trips today's drivers take. These hops decrease mileage because a car consumes a lot of fuel each time it's started.

The automobile industry defends the current standards, saying consumers should realize that their mileage may vary depending on how they drive. They point out that the EPA ratings include a range of low and high mileage to reflect different factors.

While mileage does vary greatly depending on driving habits, location and traffic, that's no excuse to continue using a rating system that is so out of date with road life in the real world.

The EPA, to its belated credit, is finally looking into whether it needs to adjust its calculations.

That should be a no-brainer. In these days of high gas prices, consumers deserve to know just how painful it will be every time they pull up to the pump.

© Copyright 2004 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Co. Inc.

Mike Maline - Sdctcher
2005 Ford Escape Hybrid Owner
California School Teacher