Starting 2012, The Transportation Department and Environmental Protection Agency in the U.S is mulling over the idea to label new cars and trucks with energy and environmental information. The government is conceiving letter grades or updating the design of the current sticker to include comparisons of a vehicle’s fuel economy and tailpipe emissions.
Cars come out of the showrooms with such informational stickers, but since the last three decades, the stickers have stuck on without any changes to reflect changing environmental norms. Now, the governmental agency is looking at ways to educate consumers about current greenhouse gas emissions and its effects on the environment. The changes are also mandatory under a 2007 energy law.
Gina McCarthy, the EPA’s top air pollution official said,
“From electric to plug-in hybrid vehicles, we think a new label is absolutely necessary to help consumers make the right decision for their wallet and for the environment.”
If new vehicles get marked with letter grades, a B- would be the fuel efficiency and emissions rating for an average automobile. The highest grading of A+ would be reserved for electric vehicles. Next ip, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles would earn an A. Cars like the Ford Fusion Hybrid, Honda Civic Hybrid and Toyota Prius classified as three gas-electric hybrids would get an A-.
Luxury brands but high fuel guzzlers like the Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorana and the Mercedes-Benz Maybach 57 would get a D+ and the Ferrari 612 Scaglietti would receive the lowest grade of D under the letter grading system.
Gloria Bergquist, a spokeswoman for the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers had a negative viewpoint,
“The letter grade inadvertently suggests a value judgment, taking us back to school days where grades were powerful symbols of passing or failing.”
But Gina McCarthy countered by saying that it was just a gauge that consumers could use while shopping for a vehicle. Environmentalists are on the side of EPA’s proposal. They said that it would help make shoppers make better eco-choices and also choose vehicles that will help them save money at the gas pump.
Image: EPA
