CAFE question

[Crazy Canuck]

How do their calculations work ? Do they take into account the number of people the vehicle is designed for ? I mean, yes a bus is a gas guzzler but when you divide by 40 passengers, it's way much better than if each one were to drive his own car. A van has lower mpg than a Tercel, but the main reason for getting a van is to be able to carry more passengers. Is CAFE taking this into account in the calculations ?

 

[darkdan]

Nope.

After a certain weight of a vehicle it's exempt (3/4 tons, 1 tons, excursions) or at least it's exempt from EPA mileage testing.

CAFE is just take all the vehicles made, add up all the mpg ratings, divid by the number of vehicles. At least I'm sure that's how it works. That's why it's the Corporate Average Fleet and not Maximum Passangers in a Vehicle Average Corporate Emissions per Household Annual Mileage thingamabob.

 

[Audi Junkie]

Funny, often it's the Tercel or Corolla that is ~over~ loaded with passengers and the full-size extend-a-cab dualie truck has but a sole occupant.

I can get 24-27mpg via trip computer in my automatic mid-size 200hp AWD wagon, so I am not intimidated by those 'lil gas-meisers.

 

[huffmuds9320]

A bus or truck are gas guzzlers, they get like less than 5mpg or something. Yes the weight and size of the vehicle would exempt it from standards. But gas guzzlers in terms of cars like Mercedes, BMW, Rolls Royce and Bently are considered that because they are heavy, big engines, and have to meet a certain gas mileage for its class. Yeah they don't count passengers. The only thing passengers count are in car pool lanes. Often see many single occupants in Pickups with empty load, SUVs, and trucks. Visit EPA fuel economy site for more info. http://www.fueleconomy.gov/

 

[widman]

most taxi's here are 1980's and 90's Corollas and Starlets. Average passenger load runs between 8 and 10. Yes, that's 3 to 4 people in the front, with no manuvering room for the driver.

 

[Jay]

quote:

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Originally posted by Crazy Canuck:
How do their calculations work ? ...

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Lubes and Greases magazine had an article that briefly outlined CAFE requierements:

quote:

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Cafe--the Corporate Average Fuel Economy requirement--was first enacted by Congress in 1975 and mandates that all auto manufacturers selling passenger cars in the United States must meet certain fuel economy levels. Today, each manufacturer's fleet must average 27.5 mpg for cars and 20.7 mpg for light trucks (pickups, minivans and SUVs).

Cafe averages are calculated on a fuel-consumed-per-mile-per-vehicle basis, so sales of vehicles with lower-than-mandated fuel economy can be offset by selling a greater number of vehicles with ratings that exceed the standard. For example, a 20-mpg vehicle plus a 30-mpg vehicle earn a CAFE rating of 24 mpg. Passenger car and light truck fleet averages are calculated separately.

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