About two months before two new plug-in cars go on sale in the United States, the federal government is struggling with how to rate the fuel economy of mass-market plug-in vehicles. How the Environmental Protection Agency rates the two cars, the Chevrolet Volt and Nissan Leaf, could have a big influence on consumers' perceptions of vehicles that run on electricity. General Motors, which makes the Volt, and Nissan are anxiously awaiting the agency's decision as they start production of the cars and complete marketing plans for rollouts in December. Providing the customary city and highway miles-per-gallon information would make little sense for the Volt, which can drive 25 to 50 miles on battery power before its gas engine kicks on, and even less so for the Leaf, which is powered only by a rechargeable battery. Cathy Milbourn, a spokeswoman for the EPA, declined to specify a date when the new ratings might be released, saying only that they would come 'shortly.' The Volt and Leaf must be rated by the EPA and have those ratings shown on window labels before they are sold. Both Nissan and GM are in discussions with the agency about what the fuel economy information on the window stickers of new vehicles will state, company officials said. But they said they were in the dark about the outcome and its timing. 'We don't have an official position on what they should do,' said Brian Brockman, a Nissan spokesman. 'We expect there will be some form of 'equivalency rating,' like how many miles the Leaf can get per the number of kilowatt hours charged.' Thomas G. Stephens, GM's vice chairman for global product operations, said that he expected the agency to determine multiple fuel-economy figures for the Volt, based on the distance driven between battery charges. 'Right now it looks like there's going to be a lot on the label,' Stephens said. 'They're trying to figure out what are all the variables that customers are going to see out there.' The EPA has proposed changing the labels on all new cars, including the possibility of assigning an overall letter grade, in part to address the issue of electric and hybrid vehicles. But the proposal would not take effect until the automakers' 2012 models. In the meantime, Milbourn said, the agency was trying to determine 'the appropriate information that will go on the 2011 model year label.' Milbourn said the agency would use its standard highway and city testing procedures on the Volt. Since 2008, the agency has been using a battery of five test drives that cover a total distance of 43.9 miles. 