Thursday, December 16, 2010
"EPA Fraud: Chevy Volt, Nissan Leaf Actually Get Only 23, 25 MPG"
I truly hope Americans are not as gullible and stupid as advertisers think we are.
Of course, the media also deserves criticism for their role in this...
Of course, the media also deserves criticism for their role in this...
Chris J. Kobus writes about them at PajamasMedia.com:
"The current 'miles per gallon equivalent' is a fraud perpetrated to hide the true environmental cost of these cars. One gallon of gas does have about 33.5 kilowatt-hours of chemical potential (depending on blend, additives, etc). And about that much energy is needed to get the Leaf to go 99 miles, and the Volt to go 93. But here’s where the fraud is perpetrated: the electricity for those vehicles is being generated by mostly coal power plants that are only about 33% efficient (minus transmission losses and losses from charging). Coal plants are off-site power generators (whereas car engines are on-board) and are totally ignored in the EPA rating.
Let me illustrate by example how this scheme works, and why it’s such a fraud."
