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"Real World" Fuel Economy vs. EPA Estimates

By: Ozzie Freedom

Lazy vehicle buyers have a tendency to assume that the big black numbers on a automobile windshield sticker, the one that shows the EPA approximated gas performance rating, are what they will really obtain while driving that vehicle. Unfortunately, this is another instance that fits under the heading of, "Read the fine print." The fine print says, more or less, actual mileage may be different because of multiple reasons.
What you as a consumer in the market to purchase a new vehicle need to know is that the MPG you get might just be less. Substantially less.
Factually a great deal of time and care goes into testing for fuel performance. And these numbers that they come up with are a good source of valuable data for comparing two cars for your next purchase. What is missed by many though is that, The testing includes a number of assumptions are made with regards to driving habits. Those assumptions are now outdated; hence the discrepancy.

New vehicles are inspected by the manufacturer with attention to guidelines laid out by the EPA. The EPA then studies the results and confirms ten percent of the test results with their own testing. The vehicles are checked by placing the drive wheels on a "dynamometer," a machine that allows the testers to perform driving simulations while the vehicle is actually not moving. The vehicle is tested according to two different "schedules" to produce the city and highway ratings which are posted on an automobile's window sticker. (MPG ratings are also included on the "Specs" page of all the vehicles on Edmunds.com.) The two schedules attempt to simulate different patterns of driving that would be encountered in the two types of driving:

City: The test is started with the vehicle’s engine cold. The car then is “driven” in such a way as to represent eleven miles of stop-and-go peak traffic. Periods of idling are integrated in the test; average speed is twenty mph and the highest speed is 56 mph.

Highway: This test approximates 10 miles of a combination of rural and interstate highway driving. The car is already warm before the test begins and the average test speed of about 48 mph is maintained. The top speed reached is 60 mph. This test is motion from start to finish, no idling.

The EPA admits that test results might differ from real-world fuel performance ratings. It prescribes the difference to — among other factors — the fact that the test cars are in their perfect state and thus will do better. But by looking at the EPA's testing procedure, it is obvious to anyone that the routines of today's drivers are not paralleled in the test. On most highways, speeds of well over 60 mph are common resulting in substantially lower gas performance ratings. Also, although the EPA attempted to duplicate city driving by introducing periods of idling, today's congested roads produce considerably more and longer prolonged stops.

Article Source: http://articlebob.com

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