EPA Fails Letter-Grade Label on New-Car Stickers

The Obama administration has decided against a proposal for a new letter-grade-based fuel-efficiency sticker, according to the Wall Street Journal.

That sticker was a part of a pair of new proposed labels, which were first shown last August. The graded labels (marked A through D) were intended to quickly show the fuel efficiency of a model and to incorporate new electric, plug-in electric and other alternative-fuel vehicles into EPA estimates.

However, the graded system just made things more confusing, according to a survey conducted by Siegel and Gale, a global branding firm. That’s because the grades encompassed all vehicles (including EVs, cars and trucks) into one system. That meant only an electric or gas-electric car could secure an A, while the highest grade a high-efficiency gasoline vehicle could achieve was a B+.

Instead, the federal government has decided to opt for a more traditional-looking EPA sticker, which is similar to the second proposal shown last August; we preferred that label over the vertical letter-grade sticker, too.

Not all groups are happy about abandoning the letter-grade proposal. Environmental groups lobbied for the graded system because it boldly illustrates a car’s greenhouse gas emissions.

The Transportation Department and EPA are jointly working on the new label and expected to unveil an updated sticker sometime next week, according to the Wall Street Journal.

U.S. Scraps Letter Grades for Cars (Wall Street Journal)