US government gears up carbon labels for new cars

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Department of Transport have proposed two fuel economy labels for light vehicles, designed to make fuel consumption, CO2 and smog emissions more obvious for buyers.

The Department of Transport already uses a fuel efficiency window sticker for vehicles, outlining average city and highway mileage, and comparing fuel economy for the vehicle in question to the average fuel economy for its class.

However, the new labels would also feature greenhouse gas emission information, along with emissions data for other air pollutants.

In addition, they would include new barcode information designed to be read by camera-enabled smartphones, which can be used to automatically look up more fuel efficiency information about the vehicle in question.

The labels will also support plug-in hybrid and pure electric vehicles (EVs), by translating the energy consumption into a miles-per-gallon equivalent. EVs will include a measurement showing the kilowatt-hours used per hundred miles.

One proposed label also includes a letter grade, ranging from A to D+, indicating an overall score for exhaust emissions and fuel economy.

The move was broadly welcomed by green groups such as the Environmental Defense Fund. "Passenger cars and trucks are responsible for about 44 per cent of all US oil consumption, and for almost 20 per cent of the pollution that causes climate change," said Vickie Patton, the organisation's general counsel.

The EPA is leading a wide-ranging campaign to curb emissions from road vehicles.

Earlier this year the agency proposed new exhaust emission standards for cars that will require manufacturers to reduce emissions 30 per cent by 2016, while the watchdog is also moving forward with similar standards for trucks and buses.

The new standards are enabled under the Clean Air Act following the EPA's controversial ruling last year that greenhouse gas emissions pose a threat to human health and as such can be regulated under existing air quality legislation.