Tag Archives: EPA

Honda Motor Co wins appeal in Civic hybrid mileage lawsuit

10 May, 2012   Karl   No comments

 

Heather Peters honda court mpg civic appeal hypermiling2 Honda Motor Co wins appeal in Civic hybrid mileage lawsuit

In the highly publicised case brought by disgruntled Honda Civic owner Heather Peters, an LA judge has settled with Honda and they have won their appeal.  The claim had been originally been bought and won by Mrs Peters against Honda for falsely advertising 50 MPG combined for it’s Honda Civic Hybrid. She was awarded $9,867 in the orginal verdict.

Peters, herself a lawyer, represented her case, unfortunately for her California law does not allow her to appeal Tuesday’s decision. She will no longer be awarded the settlement and will be required to pay Honda a whopping $75 in court fees.

In a statement released on her website she said , “It’s a sad day when regulations designed to protect consumers are used against them. I’m certain that the EPA and FTC never intended to shield Honda from liability for advertising claims that a court of law determined to be false.”

“Of course I’m disappointed, but I’m still glad that I raised awareness that Honda is no longer the great brand that it used to be. They used to go the extra mile in customer service, now the go the extra mile fighting customers in court. I guess the moral of the story is buyer beware – especially of Honda!”

Her website dontsettlewithhonda.org urged other Honda owners to follow her lead in taking Honda to small claims court over its false MPG claims. Its now clear that after this landmark ruling, that others may also lose against the might of the Honda Motor Co and its team of lawyers. 

Chris Martin, a spokesman for American Honda Motor Co, said the company is pleased with the court’s decision, “which affirms that Honda was truthful in its advertising of the fuel economy potential of the 2006 Honda Civic Hybrid.”

It just goes to show you that its your driving habits and style that determines your efficiency, assuming a hybrid will automatically give you stellar MPG results is a recipe for disaster and a lost legal case.

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US proposes new fuel efficiency standards: 54.5 MPG by 2025

18 November, 2011   Karl   No comments

usa cafe epa fuel standards US proposes new fuel efficiency standards: 54.5 MPG by 2025

With fuel prices over the US only a fraction on what we motorists mugs pay here in the UK, 54.5 MPG will seem like an huge inconvenience achievement. Especially when you consider the average MPG of US cars brought in 2010 was a measly 32 MPG.

The  U.S. Department of Transportation, EPA and the White House have announced new fuel economy standards for model year 2017-2025 vehicles that will require cars and light trucks to yield a combined 54.5 mpg.

According to government over the pond, these standards will help save the US as much as 2.2 million barrels of oil per day by 2025. They go as far to say that new car buyers in 2025 will save $6,600 in fuel costs over the lifetime of their new “ride”. Even taking in to consideration the extra cost of fuel saving technologies they still estimate a saving of over $4000 before the car is condemned to the garage in the sky.

We’ll watch with interest how manufactures plan to achieve such “modest” improvements required to meet the new standards. Lets hope they will drive innovation in new technologies that will benefit motorists all over the world.

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Used cars in the US to get “MPG” sticker courtisy of the EPA

17 March, 2011   Karl   No comments

bentley arnage mpg 300x224 Used cars in the US to get MPG sticker courtisy of the EPAIf you have been into any new car show room lately you will find that the fuel economy statistics feature very heavily on the promotional stickers and paperwork that supplement your new vehicle.

This practice of giving clear information regarding fuel consumption has not been something that used car dealers and private seller have taken to providing, however in the USA the EPA has made the process of obtaining this information much easier.

The EPA now provides the fuel efficiency information of used vehicles on its fueleconomy.gov website. These aren’t new fuel economy numbers, but the EPA did apply the updated fuel economy logic that was instituted in 2008. The EPA is currently providing fuel economy statistics for vehicles dating back to 1984.

Both US car stealers dealers and the general public will be able to adorn their billboards with even more useful information for prospective mugs buyers. Just remember lay off the comic sans and word art, when it comes to your diy FOR SALE posters… . its just not right!

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US EcoCAR teams test Eco cars as EPA challenge enters year three

15 March, 2011   Karl   No comments

kdc14 US EcoCAR teams test Eco cars as EPA challenge enters year threeSixteen US college teams gathered at the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) National Vehicle and Fuel Emissions Laboratory today to test their vehicles taking part of EcoCar: The Next Challenge. The three-year challenge pits college engineers against the real-world challenges of creating the most fuel efficient vehicle possible.

The teams met at the EPA lab for two weeks to submit their work to rigorous testing and data collection, which will then allow teams to adjust their vehicles and reach even higher mileage.

During the competition, student teams will demonstrate the vehicles so when compared to stock production vehicles they meet or exceed the following goals:

  • Incorporate technologies that reduce petroleum energy consumption on the basis of a total fuel cycle well-to-wheel (WTW) analysis
  • Increase vehicle energy efficiency
  • Reduce criteria and WTW greenhouse gas (GHG) and criteria emissions
  • Maintain consumer acceptability in the areas of performance, utility and safety.
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Nissan Leaf snags 99 mpg rating on official EPA sticker

23 November, 2010   Karl   No comments
nissan leaf epa sticker photo 300x191 Nissan Leaf snags 99 mpg rating on official EPA sticker

EPA deams the Leaf to achieve 99MPG

As far as we know, the first production Chevrolet Volt models are still awaiting their official EPA stickers. Nissan, though, has received the details on what the government agency has rated its all-electric Leaf at, and it looks good: a combined rating of 99 miles per gallon (equivalent) which breaks down into 106 city/92 highway. The official EPA range for the car is 73 miles, which Nissan admits is a variable (we know it can be beaten), and the annual electric cost is estimated at $561. The Leaf is the first vehicle to get this new label, Nissan spokesperson Katherine Zachary told AutoblogGreen that 99 mpg puts the Leaf way in front into the “best” fuel efficiency rating for mid-size vehicle class. It’ll be interesting to see how Nissan uses this in upcoming advertisements, especially since the company has called the car a compact in the past.

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Nissan Leaf snags 99 mpg rating on official EPA sticker

22 November, 2010   Karl   2 Comments
nissanleaf 300x199 Nissan Leaf snags 99 mpg rating on official EPA sticker

Nissan Leaf snags 99 mpg rating on official EPA sticker

As far as we know, the first production Chevrolet Volt models are still awaiting their official EPA stickers. Nissan, though, has received the details on what the government agency has rated its all-electric Leaf at, and it looks good: a combined rating of 99 miles per gallon (equivalent) which breaks down into 106 city/92 highway. The official EPA range for the car is 73 miles, which Nissan admits is a variable (we know it can be beaten), and the annual electric cost is estimated at $561. The Leaf is the first vehicle to get this new label, Nissan spokesperson Katherine Zachary told AutoblogGreen that 99 mpg puts the Leaf way in front into the “best” fuel efficiency rating for mid-size vehicle class. It’ll be interesting to see how Nissan uses this in upcoming advertisements, especially since the company has called the car a compact in the past.

So, how does the EPA calculate mpg for an electric car? Nissan’s presser says the EPA uses a formula where 33.7 kWhs are equivalent to one gallon of gasoline energy. Also, the EPA determined the Leaf’s efficiency is 3.4 miles per kWh, another number you can easily beat while driving, as the driver info screen can prove. Since the Leaf has a 24 kWh battery pack and can go, officially, 73 miles, then, the EPA says, it could theoretically go 99 miles if it had a 33.7 kWh pack (and everything else about the car remained the same). Make sense?

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