Monroney Sticker - 2013 Fuel Economy and Environment Label

2013 Fuel Economy and Environment Label

In May 2011, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and EPA issued a joint final rule establishing new requirements for a fuel economy and environment label that will be mandatory for all new passenger cars and trucks starting with model year 2013, though carmakers can adopt it voluntarily for model year 2012. The ruling include new labels for alternative fuel and alternative propulsion vehicles available in the US market, such as plug-in hybrids, electric vehicles, flexible-fuel vehicles, hydrogen fuel cell vehicle, and natural gas vehicles. The common fuel economy metric adopted to allow the comparison of alternative fuel and advanced technology vehicles with conventional internal combustion engine vehicles is miles per gallon of gasoline equivalent (MPGe). A gallon of gasoline equivalent means the number of kilowatt-hours of electricity, cubic feet of compressed natural gas (CNG), or kilograms of hydrogen that is equal to the energy in a gallon of gasoline.

The new labels include for the first time an estimate of how much fuel or electricity it takes to drive 100 miles (160 km), providing U.S. consumers with fuel consumption per distance traveled, the efficiency metric commonly used in many other countries. EPA's objective is to avoid the traditional miles per gallon metric that can be potentially misleading when consumers compare fuel economy improvements, and known as the "MPG illusion."

Other information provided for the first time in the redesigned labels includes:

• Greenhouse gas ratings of how a model compares to all others for tailpipe emissions of carbon dioxide. A footnote like note clarifies that upstream emissions from electricity generation are not included.
• Smog emissions ratings based on air pollutans such as nitrogen oxide and particulates.
• New ways to compare energy use and cost between new-technology cars that use electricity and conventional cars that are gasoline-powered.
• Estimates on how much more or less consumers will save or spend on fuel over the next five years compared to the average new vehicle.
• Information on the driving range while running in all-electric mode and charging time for plug-in hybrids and electric cars.
• A QR Code that can be scanned by a smartphone to allow users access to online information about how various models compare on fuel economy, the price of gasoline and electricity where the user lives, and other environmental and energy factors. This tool will also allow consumers to enter information about their typical commutes and driving behavior in order to get a more precise estimate of fuel costs and savings.

Typical labels for each fuel or advanced technology