EPA will review Ford C-Max, Fusion 47 mpg claims

Washington ? The Environmental Protection Agency said Saturday it will review claims that two new Ford Motor Co. vehicles aren't getting the advertised 47 miles per gallon.

Consumer Reports on Thursday 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.

"These two vehicles have the largest discrepancy between our overall-mpg results and the estimates published by the EPA that we've seen among any current models," Consumer Reports said in a statement.

The EPA said in a brief statement Saturday it "will look at the report and data."

Last month, Hyundai Motor Co. and Kia Motors admitted overstating mileage claims on 1.1 million vehicles in the U.S. and Canada, in the face of an EPA investigation

The EPA's investigation is ongoing; the agency may seek civil penalties over the misstated claims. A Senate Committee has also asked for more information on the automaker's plan to compensate owners for the mileage claims and the companies face several lawsuits.

EPA said this week that hybrids have far more variability in miles per gallon.

"There's absolutely no doubt: A hybrid is going to be far more variable than a conventional vehicle," said Linc Wehrly, director of light-duty vehicle center compliance division at the EPA's Ann Arbor laboratory.

"If you said that I could operate in EV-mode until 60 miles an hour for a period of time, you go a long portion on (the EPA) test cycle without the engine going on. That's going to improve your fuel economy."

But Ford says customers so far have been impressed with both C-Max and Fusion hybrids.

"Early C-Max Hybrid and Fusion Hybrid customers praise the vehicles and report a range of fuel economy figures, including some reports above 47 mpg," Ford spokesman Wes Sherwood said in an email. "This reinforces the fact that driving styles, driving conditions and other factors can cause mileage to vary."

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.

Consumer Reports says Toyota Motor Corp.'s Prius falls short of mileage expectations by 6 mpg and the Prius c Two falls short of mileage expectations by 7 mpg.

The C-Max can travel at a top speed of 62 mph in electric-only mode. Above 62 mph the car's four-cylinder gasoline engine starts and helps to recharge the battery.

That top electric-only speed means that for the portion of the EPA's highway fuel-efficiency test, which maxes out at 60 mph, the car can travel in electric-only mode without the gasoline engine kicking on.

In large portions of the United States, the EPA testing protocols deviate far from real-world driving scenarios: At 60 mph, the speed is approximately 10 mph below most highway speed limits in Metro Detroit (and most Midwestern cities), but is more indicative of the often-gridlocked and much slower highways in California.

But for drivers in Middle America who regularly drive faster than 62 mph, the benefits of a hybrid vehicle are diminished.

Ford admits that speed is one of the biggest factors when it comes to fuel-efficiency fluctuations, but said customer reaction to the vehicle has been overwhelmingly positive.

dshepardson@detnews.com

(202) 662-8735

Source: http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20121208/AUTO0102/212080368/1148/rss25

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