California Slaps Global Warming Performance Labels On New Cars

July 14, 2008 by MattK
Filed under: News 

California Global Warming

Avid automotive enthusiasts know how big their engines are, how much horsepower is produced, the lb. feet of torque available at xxxx RPMs, and know the 0-60 and 1/4 mile times of their rides. Even fuel economy numbers are regularly cited. Now, the state of California is providing one more statistic to help you out as you choose your new car in the Golden State: an environmental performance label.

That’s right, you can learn what impact your next car will have on global warming and will be urged to “Protect the Environment, choose vehicles with higher scores,” at least that is the clarion call being made by the California Environmental Protection Agency’s Air Resources Board.

Two scores are shown on the label, from 1 - 10, a Smog Score and a Global Warming Score with each number having unique environmental impacts. These scores compare emissions between all vehicle classes and sizes with the average new car scoring a 5 on both scales.

The new stickers will only be applied to 2009 and later models sold in California with that requirement kicking in on January 1, 2009. New York is considering a similar program, but there are no plans in place to federalize the program.

California has long been the leading state when it comes to environmental issues, chiefly due to its smog issues and the perceived impact that cars have on global warming, particularly vehicular emissions which include greenhouse gases. The state has often clashed with the federal government over environmental policy, particularly pertaining to light duty trucks and SUVs.


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Comments

11 Comments on California Slaps Global Warming Performance Labels On New Cars

  1. HID conversion on Mon, 14th Jul 2008 9:49 pm

    2. Im not surprised that California has decided to implement this. It seems very logical in this eco-friendly new world we’re living in. Definitely expect more ‘green’ from the auto industries to accompany these changes.

    HID conversions last blog post..How to adjust HID headlights

  2. Eco Cars on Wed, 16th Jul 2008 12:28 am

    3. Puts another layer on how you choose your next car. I wonder if they add the manufacturers construction methods in the equation or just gas mileage and emissions?

  3. Matthew C. Keegan on Wed, 16th Jul 2008 5:26 am

    4. Norcal, can you imagine that? Next, they’ll want us to account for our own driving and will force cars to stay below 65 mph.

  4. Norcal on Wed, 16th Jul 2008 9:59 am

    5. Mat
    Nah, They’d never go THAT far. :)

  5. Richard Fleener on Wed, 16th Jul 2008 6:46 pm

    6. The Global warming I am worried about is all the hot air comming out os Sacramento! California has gone way overboard, they want their hands in your pockets and then they want to tell you how and what to do. I once tried to get vintage plates for a collector car and the DMV fools took 6 months and 4 trips to their offices to figure it out. How will they ever handle something this complicated and be accurate?

    Richard Fleeners last blog post..GoodGuys Nashville 2007

  6. Matthew C. Keegan on Thu, 17th Jul 2008 5:42 am

    7. Richard, I feel for you. Government mandates are cranked out with little thought as to their impact on citizens. As far as California DMV, that is typical of this type of department no matter where you go — staffed by a lot of lifers who hate their jobs and can’t stand the people they serve.

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