hankyoreh

By Lee Seung-jun, staff reporter

The three to five percent “bubble” in car gas mileages is set to disappear this July, with automakers subject to up to one billion won ($908,000) in fines for violations.

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy announced a plan on Apr. 30 for improvements to the automobile gas mileage management system that would bring the advertised mileage closer to the actual figure.

The plan is a belated response to automobile fuel carbon reductions by South Korean refiners according to environment regulations instituted since the middle part of the last decade, which were not reflected in mileage levels.

Chae Hee-bong, who heads the ministry’s energy conservation team, explained that the plan was developed “after hearing a wide variety of opinions from consumer groups, experts, and industry in the wake of the controversy last November over overstated gas mileage in the US.”

The first step will be an adjustment in the calculations to reflect the actual carbon content in fuel (including gasoline, diesel, and LPG), which will result in a 3% to 5% reduction in the advertised mileage. For the Hyundai Avante, the mileage will drop from its current 13.9 km/L to 13.3 km/L.

The Korea Automobile Testing & Research Institute, a center affiliated with the Korea Transportation Safety Authority, released a report last year noting that mileage for automobiles was inflated by around 3% to 4%.

“The carbon content of fuel has dropped, but the mileage calculation methods are designed for the US standards from 17 years ago,” the report explained.

Mileage will also be subject to more stringent before- and after-the-fact management. The government is currently planning to inspect 10% to 15% of models for which manufacturers and sellers provide their own mileage calculations. The percentage of cars tested after the fact will be raised to 6% (45 models) this year and 10% (75 models) by 2015 - up significantly from the 3% to 4% in past years.

The margin of allowable error for the advertisement mileage is also being reduced from 5% to 3%. Automakers that go over this limit will be liable for up to one billion won (about US$908,000) in fines, a huge jump from the current maximum penalty of 5 million won (US$4,500).

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