Germany announces plans for car efficiency labelling; US EPA asks for feedback on proposed labels
Fri 03 September 2010
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A new energy efficiency label for cars has been proposed by the German economy ministry and is modelled on the equivalent label for household appliances. The German car industry has suggested the label could act as an exemplar for the rest of Europe, but doubts have been aired by environmental and consumer groups.
The German Government's plans are reported to be dividing opinions. Supported by the German car industry as a model for Europe, the proposed label has been attacked by environmental and consumer groups as a “deception”.
The label, which is proposed by the German economy ministry, is modelled on the well-known energy efficiency label for household appliances.
Environmental and consumer groups are critical of the energy efficiency categories being based on a combination of a car’s CO2 emissions and weight. Environmental group VCD argues that a car’s weight is an unsuitable parameter for an energy efficiency label. If two cars have the same weight, the one with lower emissions ends up in a poorer energy efficiency category, consumer group Verbraucherzentrale Baden-Württemberg claims.
Meanwhile, the United States' Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has proposed new labels for passenger vehicles detailing for the first time their greenhouse gas emissions, while also changing measurements of fuel economy.
The EPA and the Department of Transportation have proposed a fuel economy label overhaul to reflect how electric and alternative fuel vehicles measure compared with gasoline passenger vehicles.
The EPA and the DOT are planning to propose two label designs for comment. One label design features a letter grade to communicate the vehicle's overall fuel economy and greenhouse gas emissions performance.
"The idea of the grade is to give a single metric that combines greenhouse gases and fuel economy into one metric," said EPA assistant administrator Gina McCarthy.
The electric car label also includes the anticipated driving range and efficiency expressed in kilowatt-hours per 100 miles. The agencies are seeking consumer feedback on the proposals.
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