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Re-activateIn light of General Motors recent claim of 230 mpg for the fuel economy of the upcoming gas/electric Chevrolet Volt, Consumer Reports and the X PRIZE Foundation, sponsor of the Automotive X PRIZE for vehicles that achieve 100 mpg, think a more inclusive, technology-neutral measurement needs to be devised. Many teams competing for the Automotive X PRIZE have entered cars that run on electricity, fuel other than gasoline, or a combination of power sources. The competition aims to award a $10 million prize for creating a car that gets 100 mpg; can be mass produced; and could be sold for an affordable price.
The mpg designation is the American standard of measuring gasoline, but for other energy sources, we believe a more neutral measure needs to be considered. The Automotive X PRIZE will rely on a measurement it calls miles per gallon equivalent (MPGe).
MPGe will use a formula to convert the use of heat energy into the equivalent of burning a gallon of gasoline. It will calculate the energy the cars use attributable to all sources used to propel the car.
The Chevrolet Volt electric vehicle has impressive technology and we look forward to testing the fuel economy, but GM says the 230 mpg claims were made using a new draft test protocol for testing the fuel economy of plug-in hybrid vehicles. However, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has not published a protocol and is still working on the development of a test for these vehicles. We hope that manufacturers and the government will endorse MPGe as a new standard to help consumers make equal comparisons as more alterative-fuel vehicles hit the market.
For more on the Autotomotive X PRIZE competition, see our blog coverage. Also, check out our guide to fuel economy for more on saving fuel and alterative fuels.
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