Title 40

SECTION 600.302-12

600.302-12 Fuel economy label - general provisions.

§ 600.302-12 Fuel economy label - general provisions.

This section describes labeling requirements and specifications that apply to all vehicles. The requirements and specifications in this section and those in §§ 600.304 through 600.310 are illustrated in Appendix VI of this part.

(a) Basic format. Fuel economy labels must be rectangular in shape with a minimum width of 174 mm and a minimum height of 114 mm. The required label can be divided into three fields separated and outlined by a continuous border, as described in paragraphs (b) through (e) of this section.

(b) Border. Create a continuous black border to outline the label and separate the three information fields. Include the following information in the top and bottom portions of the border:

(1) In the left portion of the upper border, include “EPA” and “DOT” with a horizontal line in between (“EPA divided by DOT”).

(2) Immediately to the right of the Agency names, include the heading “Fuel Economy and Environment”.

(3) Identify the vehicle's fuel type on the right-most portion of the upper border in a blue-colored field as follows:

(i) For vehicles designed to operate on a single fuel, identify the appropriate fuel. For example, identify the vehicle as “Gasoline Vehicle”, “Diesel Vehicle”, “Compressed Natural Gas Vehicle”, “Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicle”, etc. This includes hybrid electric vehicles that do not have plug-in capability. Include a logo corresponding to the fuel to the left of this designation as follows:

(A) For gasoline, include a fuel pump logo.

(B) For diesel fuel, include a fuel pump logo with a “D” inscribed in the base of the fuel pump.

(D) For hydrogen fuel cells, include the expression “H2”.

(ii) Identify flexible-fuel vehicles and dual-fuel vehicles as “Flexible-Fuel Vehicle Gasoline-Ethanol (E85)”, “Flexible-Fuel Vehicle Diesel-Natural Gas”, etc. Include a fuel pump logo or a combination of logos to the left of this designation as appropriate. For example, for vehicles that operate on gasoline or ethanol, include a fuel pump logo and the designation “E85”.

(iii) Identify plug-in hybrid electric vehicles as “Plug-In Hybrid Vehicle Electricity-Gasoline” or “Plug-In Hybrid Vehicle Electricity-Diesel”. Include a fuel pump logo as specified in paragraph (b)(3)(i) of this section and an electric plug logo to the left of this designation.

(iv) Identify electric vehicles as “Electric Vehicle”. Include an electric plug logo to the left of this designation.

(4) Include the following statement in the upper left portion of the lower border: “Actual results will vary for many reasons, including driving conditions and how you drive and maintain your vehicle. The average new vehicle gets a MPG and costs $b to fuel over 5 years. Cost estimates are based on c miles per year at $d per gallon. MPGe is miles per gasoline gallon equivalent. Vehicle emissions are a significant cause of climate change and smog.” For a, b, c, and d, insert the appropriate values established by EPA, including consideration of the type of fuel that is required for the vehicle. See §§ 600.303 through 600.310 for alternate statements that apply for vehicles that use a fuel other than gasoline or diesel fuel.

(5) In the lower left portion of the lower border, include the Web site reference, “fueleconomy.gov”, and the following statement: “Calculate personalized estimates and compare vehicles”.

(6) Include a field in the right-most portion of the lower border to allow for accessing interactive information with mobile electronic devices. To do this, include an image of a QR code that will direct mobile electronic devices to an EPA-specified Web site with fuel economy information. Generate the QR code as specified in ISO/IEC 18004 (incorporated by reference in § 600.011). To the left of the QR code, include the vertically oriented caption “Smartphone QR Code TM”.

(7) Along the lower edge of the lower border, to the left of the field with the QR Code, include the logos for EPA, the Department of Transportation, and the Department of Energy.

(1) The elements specified in this paragraph (c)(1) for vehicles that run on gasoline or diesel fuel with no plug-in capability. See §§ 600.304 through 600.310 for specifications that apply for other vehicles.

(i) The heading “Fuel Economy” near the top left corner of the field.

(ii) The combined fuel economy value as determined in § 600.311 below the heading. Include the expression “combined city/hwy” below this number.

(iii) The fuel pump logo to the left of the combined fuel economy value. For diesel fuel, include a fuel pump logo with a “D” inscribed in the base of the fuel pump.

(iv) The units identifier and specific fuel economy values to the right of the combined fuel economy rating as follows:

(A) Include the term “MPG” in the upper portion of the designated space.

(B) Include the city fuel economy value determined in § 600.311 in the lower left portion of the designated space. Include the expression “city” below this number.

(C) Include the highway fuel economy value determined in § 600.311 in the lower right portion of the designated space. Include the expression “highway” below this number.

(v) The fuel consumption rate determined in § 600.311, below the combined fuel economy value, followed by the expression “gallons per 100 miles”.

(2) In the upper middle portion of the field, include the following statement: “___ range from x to y MPG. The best vehicle rates z MPGe.” Fill in the blank with the appropriate vehicle class (such as Small SUVs). For x, y, and z, insert the appropriate values established by EPA.

(3) Include one of the following statements in the right side of the field:

(i) For vehicles with calculated fuel costs higher than the average vehicle as specified in § 600.311: “You spend $x more in fuel costs over 5 years compared to the average new vehicle.” Complete the statement by including the calculated increase in fuel costs as specified in § 600.311.

(ii) For all other vehicles: “You save $x in fuel costs over 5 years compared to the average new vehicle.” Complete the statement by including the calculated fuel savings as specified in § 600.311. Note that this includes fuel savings of $0.

(d) Annual fuel cost. Include the following statement in the field in the lower left portion of the label: “Annual fuel cost $x”. Complete this statement using the value for annual fuel cost determined in § 600.311.

(e) Performance ratings. Include the following information in the field in the lower left portion of the label:

(1) The heading, “Fuel Economy and Greenhouse Gas Rating (tailpipe only)” in the top left corner of the field.

(2) A slider bar below the heading in the left portion of the field to characterize the vehicle's fuel economy and greenhouse gas ratings, as determined in § 600.311. Position a box with a downward-pointing wedge above the slider bar positioned to show where that vehicle's fuel economy rating falls relative to the total range; include the vehicle's fuel economy rating inside the box. If the greenhouse gas rating from § 600.311 is different than the fuel economy rating, position a second box with an upward-pointing wedge below the slider bar positioned to show where that vehicle's greenhouse gas rating falls relative to the total range; include the vehicle's greenhouse gas rating inside the box. Include the expression “CO2” to the left of the box with the greenhouse gas rating and add the expression MPG to the left of the box with the fuel economy rating. Include the number 1 inside the border at the left end of the slider bar. Include the number 10 inside the border at the right end of the slider bar and add the term “Best” below the slider bar, directly under the number. EPA will periodically calculate and publish updated rating values as described in § 600.311. Add color to the slider bar such that it is blue at the left end of the range, white at the right end of the range, and shaded continuously across the range.

(3) The heading, “Smog Rating (tailpipe only)” in the top right corner of the field.

(4) Insert a slider bar in the right portion of the field to characterize the vehicle's level of emission control for ozone-related air pollutants relative to that of all vehicles. Position a box with a downward-pointing wedge above the slider bar positioned to show where that vehicle's emission rating falls relative to the total range. Include the vehicle's emission rating (as described in § 600.311) inside the box. Include the number 1 in the border at the left end of the slider bar; include the number 10 in the border at the right end of the slider bar and add the term “Best” below the slider bar, directly under the number. EPA will periodically calculate and publish updated range values as described in § 600.311. Add color to the slider bar such that it is blue at the left end of the range, white at the right end of the range, and shaded continuously across the range.

(5) The following statements below the slider bars: “This vehicle emits x grams CO2 per mile. The best emits 0 grams per mile (tailpipe only). Producing and distributing fuel also create emissions; learn more at fueleconomy.gov.” For x, insert the vehicle's composite CO2 emission rate as described in § 600.311. See §§ 600.308 and 600.310 for specifications that apply for vehicles powered by electricity.

(f) Vehicle description. Where the fuel economy label is physically incorporated with the Motor Vehicle Information and Cost Savings Act label, no further vehicle description is needed. If the fuel economy label is separate from the Automobile Information Disclosure Act label, describe the vehicle in a location on the label that does not interfere with the other required information. In cases where the vehicle description may not easily fit on the label, the manufacturer may request Administrator approval of modifications to the label format to accommodate this information. Include the following items in the vehicle description, if applicable:

(1) Model year.

(2) Vehicle car line.

(3) Engine displacement, in cubic inches, cubic centimeters, or liters whichever is consistent with the customary description of that engine.

(4) Transmission class.

(5) Other descriptive information, as necessary, such as number of engine cylinders, to distinguish otherwise identical model types or, in the case of specific labels, vehicle configurations, as approved by the Administrator.

(g) [Reserved]

(h) Gas guzzler provisions. For vehicles requiring a tax statement under § 600.513, add the phrase “$x gas guzzler tax”, where $x is the value of the tax. The tax value required by this paragraph (h) is based on the combined fuel economy value for the model type calculated according to § 600.513 and rounded to the nearest 0.1 mpg.

(i) Alternative label provisions for special cases. The Administrator may approve modifications to the style guidelines if space is limited. The Administrator may also prescribe special label format and information requirements for vehicles that are not specifically described in this subpart, such as hydrogen-fueled internal combustion engines or hybrid electric vehicles that have engines operating on fuels other than gasoline or diesel fuel. The Administrator may also approve alternate wording of statements on the label if that is necessary or appropriate for a given fuel or combination of fuels. The revised labeling specifications will conform to the principles established in this subpart, with any appropriate modifications or additions to reflect the vehicle's unique characteristics. See 49 U.S.C. 32908(b)(1)(F).

(j) Rounding. Unless the regulation specifies otherwise, do not round intermediate values, but round final calculated values identified in this subpart to the nearest whole number.

(k) Updating information. EPA will periodically publish updated information that is needed to comply with the labeling requirements in this subpart. This includes the annual mileage rates and fuel-cost information, the “best and worst” values needed for calculating relative ratings for individual vehicles, and the various rating criteria as specified in § 600.311.

[76 FR 39559, July 6, 2011, as amended at 76 FR 57380, Sept. 15, 2011]