Differences between EPA-test and in-use fuel economy: Are the correction factors correct

摘要

A vehicle's in-use or on-the-road fuel economy often differs substantially from the miles-per-gallon estimates developed by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as part of its emissions certification program. As a result, the certification values are routinely adjusted by a set of correction factors so that the resulting estimates will better reflect in-use experience. Using data from the Residential Transportation Energy Consumption Survey conducted by the Energy Information Administration of the US Department of Energy, our analysis investigated how well the correction factors replicated the shortfall experience of all household vehicles on the road in 1985. Results show that the shortfall is larger than the EPA correction factors, and light trucks are experiencing significantly larger shortfalls than automobiles.