Wired has published an alarmist article that argues fuel economy testing related to U.S. corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) targets is essentially useless:
The EPA’s Fuel Efficiency Testing May Not Work. Like, at All
(The click-baity title suggests the article might even be about window sticker MPG ratings, but it's not.)
If you follow any news about CAFE, you probably already know that fuel consumption figures used in the setting of targets are not the same as the window sticker values that consumers see: the 54.5 mpg 2025 CAFE target equates to about 40 MPG on the window sticker.
Why?
Because for the purposes of continuity in setting CAFE targets through the years, the old "uncorrected" city & highway test cycles are used, rather than the newer 5-cycle tests which were introduced in addition to the 2-cycle tests in 2008 to provide more "real world" (ie. lower) EPA estimates for consumers.
So, because CAFE relies on just 2 tests (instead of 5) and because they're at lower engine loads, WIRED argues that they're easier for the manufacturers to game.
Therefore,
WIRED reports, CAFE targets are useless, because manufacturers will just game the tests.
I don't buy it.