The California Air Resources Board (CARB) recently introduced an interesting new concept aimed at helping people as they shop for new cars. CARB decreed that all new 2009 model-year vehicles sold in the state must carry a sticker that details...
The California Air Resources Board (CARB) recently introduced an interesting new concept aimed at helping people as they shop for new cars.
CARB decreed that all new 2009 model-year vehicles sold in the state must carry a sticker that details the state’s assessment of the vehicle’s carbon impact. Because the rule affects 2009 model-year vehicles, the stickers will appear in showrooms as soon as those ’09 vehicles do.
The sticker displays two scores. The first is a Global Warming score, which is based in part on the vehicle’s greenhouse gas emissions.
The second score is a smog score, which is based on smog-forming emissions produced by the vehicle. The higher each score – they go from 1 to 10 - the less impact the car has on the environment.
So that you can check on this without hoofing it over to your favorite dealership, CARB hosts www.DriveClean.ca.gov, a site that provides information on the cleanest, most efficient cars on the market.
We’re interested in this, at least in part, because our Prius Hybrid is listed by CARB as one of its top 10 cleanest cars. What you’ll see is that Camry and Camry Hybrid are right behind Prius with scores of 9, and Highlander Hybrid follows closely along with a score of 8. The site also lists estimated annual smog emissions and fuel costs for each vehicle.
All in all, interesting stuff that helps illuminate, we think, the growing amount of information that’s available to help you make a studied automotive choice when it’s time for your next vehicle.
So, here’s the question: Should this sort of labeling be adopted by all the states?
- Jon F. Thompson, Editor, Open Road
More...
The California Air Resources Board (CARB) recently introduced an interesting new concept aimed at helping people as they shop for new cars.
CARB decreed that all new 2009 model-year vehicles sold in the state must carry a sticker that details the state’s assessment of the vehicle’s carbon impact. Because the rule affects 2009 model-year vehicles, the stickers will appear in showrooms as soon as those ’09 vehicles do.
The sticker displays two scores. The first is a Global Warming score, which is based in part on the vehicle’s greenhouse gas emissions.
The second score is a smog score, which is based on smog-forming emissions produced by the vehicle. The higher each score – they go from 1 to 10 - the less impact the car has on the environment.
So that you can check on this without hoofing it over to your favorite dealership, CARB hosts www.DriveClean.ca.gov, a site that provides information on the cleanest, most efficient cars on the market.
We’re interested in this, at least in part, because our Prius Hybrid is listed by CARB as one of its top 10 cleanest cars. What you’ll see is that Camry and Camry Hybrid are right behind Prius with scores of 9, and Highlander Hybrid follows closely along with a score of 8. The site also lists estimated annual smog emissions and fuel costs for each vehicle.
All in all, interesting stuff that helps illuminate, we think, the growing amount of information that’s available to help you make a studied automotive choice when it’s time for your next vehicle.
So, here’s the question: Should this sort of labeling be adopted by all the states?
- Jon F. Thompson, Editor, Open Road
More...