EPA still to provide final ruling on electric-vehicle fuel ratings

You must be very excited to hear that in the near future we’ll see cars on the road that average 230 mpg (2011 Chevrolet Volt) or 367 mpg (Nissan LEAF EV). Well, don’t get all that excited because the U.S. government is still hammering out how it will rate the fuel-efficiency of electric-vehicles and plug-in hybrids.

While the Environmental Protection Agency has a draft proposal for computing an efficiency rating using a “miles per gallon” scale, which was apparently used by GM to reach 230 mpg for the Volt, it has not issued a final ruling. Using a different method issued by the Department of Energy, Nissan claims that its LEAF EV will get the equivalent of 367 mpg.

According to USAToday, an Israeli company, known as ETV Motors, has suggested to the EPA to consider a new multiple standard. CEO Ben-David says that his company proposes “a three-pronged rating for fuel efficiency.”

The first number would show how far the car can go on a single plug-in battery recharge; the second number would show how energy intensive the battery is; and the third would show how much gasoline it consumes to drive the engine or the wheels when the battery runs out.

“A single number is not good enough. … It might be a bit misleading,” says Ben-David.

– By: Kap Shah

Source: USAToday