The US Department of Energy just released its 2013 Vehicle Buyer’s Guide, which explores the wide range of alternative fuel vehicles now available in the US and the fueling infrastructure being implemented to keep these vehicles on the road. The guide provides model-specific information on vehicle specs, manufacturer suggested retail price (MSRP), fuel economy, energy impact, and emissions. Vehicle and fuel categories explored in the report include compressed natural gas, propane, all-electric, plug-in hybrid electric, hybrid electric, ethanol flex-fuel, and biodiesel.
The Clean Cities 2013 Vehicle Buyer’s Guide explores four evaluation factors for each vehicle:
Fuel Economy: City and highway fuel economy estimates from the U.S.Envi¬ronmental Protection Agency (EPA).The estimates are based on laboratory tests conducted by manufacturers in accordance with federal regulations.
Energy Impact Scores: These scores allow buyers to compare vehicles’ annual estimated petro¬leum consumption. The scores are based on 45% highway driving, 55% city driving, and 15,000 annual miles.
Smog Scores: These scores are determined by the EPA, and reflect vehicle tailpipe emissions that contribute to local and regional air quality problems and related health issues.
Greenhouse Gas Emissions Scores: GHG scores reflect tailpipe emissions of carbon dioxide and other GHGs, which contribute to climate change.
