EPA Mandates Real-World Testing For All Automakers
In light of re-estimated mileage per gallon claims by Ford, Hyundai and Kia, the Environmental Protection Agency seeks to prove the claims of all automakers through real-world testings.
Automotive News reports a proposal by the agency would mandate automakers to road-test their vehicles in order to verify that the mpg claimed in the lab is achievable on the street. The proposal would also make manipulation of lab results to deliver higher figures difficult at best.
Though a number of automakers already use real-world testing, the EPA is establishing “a regulatory requirement for all automakers,” according to agency director of the Office of Transportation and Air Quality, Chris Grundler.
The test itself would become more rigorous, emphasizing air resistance and rolling friction at the test track over computer modelling.
Seattle-based writer, blogger, and photographer for many a publication. Born in Louisville. Raised in Kansas. Where I lay my head is home.
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Good move by the EPA. They were undermining their own credibility by busting auto manufacturers for acing their testing procedures. Changing the test is the appropriate course of action. However, an independent third party could test more flexibly and reliably. I wonder why the EPA doesn't fund several entities to do this work for them, and to compete to pioneer the best real world cycle.
Who gets the contract to build the giant indoor test track so they won't test with a tail wind?
What took them so long? How hard could it be to rent a big oval track, get a bunch of cars, stick 1 or 2 gallons of gasoline in them and run them around the track with the cruise control on at 55mph until they stop? Instrumentation and data acquisition is dirt cheap these days. You could measure everything the car's computer already does plus several hundred other sensors inside and out. Yes, your mileage may vary, especially if you commute in bumper to bumper traffic or cruise at 85mph, but it's more realistic than running the car on rollers in a wind tunnel.
Can we get real world regulations too?