[Rob Hood]

http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/News/articleId=128569

Article is posted in case the link is bad -

SACRAMENTO, California — The state of California will require all 2009 model and later cars to be labeled with stickers giving their global warming score, starting at the beginning of the year. The labels will rate vehicles on a scale of 1-10 — with 10 being the best and 5 an average number — based on direct emissions and emissions related to fuel production, and will let consumers make comparisons between models.

California vehicles already are given a Smog Score, in which new models are rated on a 1-10 scale for emissions. The labeling will be displayed side by side on new vehicles sold in the state. Consumers can also look up detailed information on the Drive Clean Web site.

New York can expect a similar sticker law for new models starting in 2010.

What this means to you: Environmental-impact stickers: not just for refrigerators anymore.

[robz71lm7]

Fuel economy numbers are what it should be based upon since there are no emission controls for CO2. It's funny how it ranks vehicles with similar fuel economy at other ends of the spectrum.

Also as someone working in the electric utility industry I can tell you that for most buyers in this country their electric car will be powered by coal. The above percentages show why electricity is so expensive in CA. Notice it states 60.1% from natural gas which is very expensive. In KY combustion turbines are reserved for summer peaking loads because they are so much more costly to operate and maintain. Combustion turbines, burning natural gas, still have very large CO2 emissions. Besides that CA buys a lot of power. The chart Dan showed is their NATIVE generation-where do you think the power CA buys is generated? However if all cars were electric the government could simply regulate utilities alone.

And for the rest of the country:

(IMG:http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/electricity/epm/fig2.jpg)

I know this is a CA thread, but we all the rest of the country will follow suit. The only viable sources of electric power that are "global warming friendly" are nukes and hydro plants.