The web economy blog

As a result of the current economic trends Have you been toying with the idea of purchasing or renting a new SUV or changing over to a more fuel-efficient model, it’s imperative to know that you may not be comparing apples and apples. Just recently the Environmental Protection Agency or the EPA as we know it has a brand method of calculating the fuel economy of the new cars as well as pick-ups and SUVs.

The main reason that the words fuel and efficiency are on the tip of almost everyone’s tongue is simple; in fact it is the main cause for change in so many situations, its cash. As the global economy crashes and the amount of natural resources’ in the world dwindle the price of petrol rises.

A few years back, the EPA, together with automobile manufacturers, used a method of testing a vehicle’s fuel economy, that let’s just say, didn’t satisfactorily recreate real-world conditions. The vehicle was placed on a set of rollers called a ‘dynamometer’ that allowed the car to sit in place while turning the wheels of the vehicle. Although the drag on the rollers was adjusted to better simulate various driving conditions, the vehicles were never tested in an environment where wind resistance could manipulate the amount of fuel being burned, and the accessories were never running. Hence, the test created a level playing field for all vehicles of the same class to be compared, but the results never depicted the fuel economy you could expect in the real world. What’s more, the simulated speeds a few years ago were noticeably slower than what the normal driver actually drives today. It was something like only forty eight miles per hour for highway tests and twenty miles per hour for tests in the city. These conditions were not really effective when checking for fuel economy.

Beginning now, the Environmental Protection Agency has started using an adjusted system of testing requirements to account for all the things that affect fuel economy: faster acceleration, higher speeds in both the city and on the highway, colder external temperatures, and vehicles are now tested with accessories (such as heating or air-conditioning) turned on.

A lot of automobile manufacturers have upgraded their lines to be more fuel-efficient as a response to amplified gas prices over the past two years. However, on paper, the fuel economy of these vehicles seems to be much worse than its predecessors. Without an understanding of the new testing system, comparing one’s older model to a new 2008 could suggest you’re better off keeping the car or pick-up you have. Chances are, you’re not. Even the “non-green” models (models that still operate solely on petrol with no the support of an electrical power source) are becoming progressively more economical.

So what is the moral of the story? Comparing older models to previous years does not tell you a lot in terms of fuel economy, so stick with comparing between the new models to determine if the SUV or car you’ve got your eye on stands up to the other vehicles in its class.