Experts: Revise fuel economy rules to reflect real-world driving

[Ed Barrow]

An expert panel called on government agencies today to revise fuel-economy testing to better reflect real-world driving conditions.

The National Academy of Sciences convened an expert panel in 2007 to assess technologies to boost fuel economy and make findings on the state of vehicle efficiency at the request of government regulators, releasing a report today.

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The panel -- which includes a professor from Michigan Technological University, a retired DaimlerChrysler executive and the president and CEO of the Center for Automotive Research in Ann Arbor -- called on the Environmental Protection Agency to rewrite fuel economy rules so "vehicle test data better reflects actual fuel consumption."

"Excluding some driving conditions and accessory loads in determining CAFE discourages the introduction of certain technologies into the vehicle fleet," the panel wrote in its 360-page report. "NHTSA and the EPA should review and revise fuel economy test procedures so that they better reflect in-use vehicle operating conditions."


http://www.detnews.com/article/20100603/AUTO01/6030480/1148/Experts--Revise-fuel-economy-rules-to-reflect-real-world-driving