ANN ARBOR, Mich., Nov. 19 (UPI) -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will replace its procedures to test vehicles' fuel economy to better reflect how people really drive, a report said.
The new standards, planned for release by the end of the year, respond to a congressional mandate to revamp the 28-year-old gasoline consumption ratings, The Washington Post reported.
Consumer groups have complained actual miles per gallon are far lower than the sales sticker ratings, complaints that swelled as gas prices spiked.
EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson, during a Friday tour of the National Fuel and Vehicle Emissions Laboratory in Ann Arbor, Mich., said a lot has changed since 1977.
Significant changes include higher mandatory speed limits and a lot more cars with air conditioning and other equipment. "Clearly, people do a little bit more stop-and-go and probably accelerate more than assumptions" behind the current standards, Johnson said.
The new standards, which could go into effect in two years, also will reflect more time idling in traffic.
