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Has CAFE reached the end of its usefulness? - READ ONLY

560 messages,  Last post on Dec 08, 2012 at 3:14 PM

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What is this discussion about? Fuel Efficiency (MPG)

Messages Page 57 of 57

#554 of 560 it's already working by benjaminh

Nov 18, 2011 (6:50 am)

Looks what BMW has done with the new 2012 500 series:
 
528i
 
    2.0L 4-cyl. engine
    Automatic transmission
    Up to 23 cty/34 hwy mpg
 
Amazing. 20 years ago, in 1992, a BMW 525i got 15 in the city and 23 on the highway.
 
And the new car is actually larger, safer, and more powerful. I think that's a 32% increase in highway fuel economy. How did BMW do it? Through a small turbo 4 that has the power of a V-8 from 20 years ago, plus an 8 speed automatic transmission....

#555 of 560 not energy independent yet, but... by steve_ HOST

Nov 29, 2011 (6:48 pm)

"U.S. exports of gasoline, diesel and other oil-based fuels are soaring, putting the nation on track to be a net exporter of petroleum products in 2011 for the first time in 62 years.
 
A combination of booming demand from emerging markets and faltering domestic activity means the U.S. is exporting more fuel than it imports, upending the historical norm."
 
U.S. Nears Milestone: Net Fuel Exporter (Wall St. Journal)

#556 of 560 CAFE in the real-world ? by steve_ HOST

Feb 05, 2012 (12:33 pm)

Hot on the heels of the news about the Honda hybrid missing fuel economy advertising claims and losing lawsuits over it, comes this test from Popular Mechanics.
 
Mileage Moment of Truth: We Put 40 Mpg Claims to the Test
 
PM's results were a bit different from Consumer Watchdog's claims based on CR's testing. (prnewswire.com)

#557 of 560 Help CAFE by staying out of the café. by steve_ HOST

May 01, 2012 (7:24 am)

"Thanks to the starling rise in obesity, every year Americans consumer at least a billion gallons more gas today than they would if people were as trim as they were in 1960," says The Atlantic. "For every additional pound of passenger weight, the United States uses up another 39 million gallons of fuel each year."
 
Obesity is the Newest Fuel Economy Demon (Straightline)

#558 of 560 corn in the CAFE by steve_ HOST

Aug 18, 2012 (3:55 pm)

LaHood: 2025 fuel rules will be unveiled 'soon'
 
And a bit related:
 
Court tosses E15 challenge
 
(both links from the Detroit News)

#559 of 560 gaming the system? by steve_ HOST

Dec 07, 2012 (8:06 pm)

The feds' five-cycle, 43.9-mile testing methodology is arcane—almost 200 pages in the Federal Register, including the CAFE calculations—but that shouldn't surprise anyone, since the process attempts to capture a complex phenomenon, a vehicle's fuel economy, in just two numbers printed on new cars' so-called Monroney label. Even the EPA's "average" mpg number is weighted in a way not beyond dispute.
 
It would be hard to overstate the consequence of these numbers. The numbers determine which vehicle can claim best-in-class mileage, who has to pay a gas-guzzler tax, and which technologies merit their relative cost in fuel savings. CAFE was designed to inflect a manufacturer's entire portfolio, to bend it toward higher fuel efficiency, and it does just that.
 
[T]the feds' fuel-economy administrators are currently operating at a dead run trying to keep up with a host of new, highly digitized fuel-saving technologies, such as "Eco" throttle mapping and stop-start (the engine cuts out as the vehicle coasts or stops), which were practically invented to hack the EPA testing cycle."
 
Ford's Fine C-Max Falls Way Short on MPG Wall St. Journal

#560 of 560 Re: gaming the system? [steve_] by kcram HOST

Dec 08, 2012 (3:14 pm)

Replying to: steve_ (Dec 07, 2012 8:06 pm)
While it's far from the best or mist accurate testing method, the one thing CAFE has going for it is the unilateral consistency. For the most part, you're comparing apples when you compare EPA numbers across manufacturers. Yes, Hyundai/Kia just got caught cheating, and there's no legit way to test the "fuel economy" of an electric vehicle, but for 99% of the buyers out there, it's a tool they can actually use.

Messages Page 57 of 57

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