Quote:
Washington— Ford Motor Co. will announce it is dropping the fuel economy rating on the C-Max hybrid from a combined 47 mpg to 43 mpg — a nearly 10 percent reduction — according to two people briefed on the matter.
The automaker has scheduled a press conference at 4:30 p.m. Thursday to discuss the issue.
People briefed on the matter emphasized that the Dearborn automaker followed the procedures specified by EPA to reach fuel economy numbers for the the C-Max hybrid.
Under the rules — largely unchanged since 1978 — Ford could apply the same rating to the C-Max as the similarly sized Fusion hybrid, which also gets 47 mpg, because they are in the same family of vehicles. While the procedure has worked for conventional vehicles, it has not been as effective for hybrids, officials said. Ford will not revise the rating for the Fusion hybrid.
The Environmental Protection Agency is expected to announce Friday it is planning to revise the procedures for how hybrid vehicles receive fuel economy labels, according to three industry officials. EPA is likely to look at revising its procedures in coming months.
In December, the EPA said it would review whether the C-Max and Fusion hybrid aren’t getting the 47 mpg on the sticker.
Last month, Ford said it would update software on hybrid vehicles to improve the real-world fuel efficiency for tens of thousands of owners of its Ford Fusion, C-Max and Lincoln MKZ hybrid vehicles. That is playing a role in Ford’s new 43 mpg rating for the C-Max.
The software update — for approximately 77,000 hybrids currently on the road and for all 2014 model-year hybrids — will “reduce the variability in MPG” experienced by many owners of Ford’s new hybrids, which debuted last year.
Raj Nair, Ford’s group vice president of global product development, last month announced the updates, which include increasing the electric-only mode top speed to 85 miles per hour from 62, and optimizing active grille shutters to reduce aerodynamic drag.
Many Ford owners have complained they have not achieved the 47 mpg average for the C-MAX (45 mpg for the MKZ hybrid) that was certified by the EPA.
Ford has faced multiple lawsuits over its fuel efficiency claims from owners who say the cars don’t deliver what the window stickers promise. Redlands, Calif., law firm McCuneWright, which on behalf of “hundreds” of C-Max and Fusion hybrid owners is seeking punitive damages because of potentially overinflated fuel-efficiency claims, said in February it would consolidate with a similar lawsuit filed by a San Diego-based law firm.
Consumer Reports said the C-Max hybrid’s fuel efficiency fell 10 miles per gallon short in testing — it got 37 mpg overall, with 35 mpg for city driving and 38 mpg highway. The Fusion Hybrid, certified for the same 47 mpg, got 39 mpg in testing overall, with 35 mpg city and 41 mpg highway.
Christopher Grundler, who heads the EPA’s Office of Transportation and Air Quality, in a Detroit News interview in January on the sidelines of the North American International Auto Show, that the agency was planning to test the C-Max hybrid and was planning to acquire one.
“I am very confident that the sticker is sound, but I am also committed to keeping up with technology” said “The integrity of that sticker is very, very important.”
He noted that the Consumer Reports C-Max hybrid test was conducted in cold weather in Connecticut. “We know — particularly with hybrids — that they are affected by cold weather performance,” Grundler said.
All vehicles are run through the same EPA fuel-efficiency test; that test, however, is not administered by the EPA. The automakers conduct the test, but the EPA often conducts reviews.
Most vehicles’ real-world gas mileage is less than the EPA sticker number, and can often be 20 percent less than the sticker number depending on speed, temperature and other factors.
With hybrids, however, the gap is much wider — as high as a 30 percent drop, the EPA says. And as the fuel efficiency of hybrids continues to climb, the gap is growing wider between EPA figures and real-world fuel efficiency.
From The Detroit News: http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20130815/AUTO0102/308150095#ixzz2c3sfFoOi
They seem conform pretty well. Mine does and I get 40mpg+ every single tank.
Of course, with hybrids specifically, a lot depends on distance traveled. The longer the distance, the more normalized the mpgs are! Shorter sprints will always be much lower than the rated mpgs.
