Study: Car fuel efficiency falls below makers' claims
Source: Agencies |
May 29, 2013, Wednesday
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THE gap has widened between the fuel-efficiency that carmakers declare for their models and the reality for drivers, with luxury German vehicles showing the biggest divergence, a study has found.
The research by the non-profit International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) found "real-world" carbon emissions for new cars based on fuel consumption are about 25 percent higher on average than carmakers say, compared with 10 percent a decade ago.
The findings will add to pressure for the reform of EU vehicle testing procedures to ensure that advertised fuel-efficiency values better reflect normal use. That in turn could make it harder for manufacturers to meet a new EU carbon dioxide (CO2) vehicle emissions target proposed for 2020.
BMW reported emissions figures for its vehicles on average 30 percent lower than those found in actual use, said the report, published yesterday.
Volkswagen AG's luxury unit Audi had the second widest disparity, with reported emissions some 28 percent below actual use, while Mercedes showed a gap of 26 percent.
Figures for emissions from Toyota vehicles were found to be about 15 percent less than in real use and Renault and PSA Peugeot Citroen's published data was about 16 percent lower than for vehicles on the road.
"This means that the actual fuel consumption experienced by the average driver is typically 25 percent higher than what is printed on the sales sticker," Peter Mock, managing director of ICCT Europe, said.
That difference in fuel use costs drivers on average an extra 300 euros (US$390) per year, said the report, which was based on data from nearly half a million private and company vehicles across Europe.
Previous research has shown how carmakers have perfected the art of lowering fuel use and thus emissions in laboratory tests, through measures such as using tires with extra traction. But the car industry agrees on the need for change. VDA, which represents the German industry, has said it is "working actively" on reform of the testing regime.
The research by the non-profit International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) found "real-world" carbon emissions for new cars based on fuel consumption are about 25 percent higher on average than carmakers say, compared with 10 percent a decade ago.
The findings will add to pressure for the reform of EU vehicle testing procedures to ensure that advertised fuel-efficiency values better reflect normal use. That in turn could make it harder for manufacturers to meet a new EU carbon dioxide (CO2) vehicle emissions target proposed for 2020.
BMW reported emissions figures for its vehicles on average 30 percent lower than those found in actual use, said the report, published yesterday.
Volkswagen AG's luxury unit Audi had the second widest disparity, with reported emissions some 28 percent below actual use, while Mercedes showed a gap of 26 percent.
Figures for emissions from Toyota vehicles were found to be about 15 percent less than in real use and Renault and PSA Peugeot Citroen's published data was about 16 percent lower than for vehicles on the road.
"This means that the actual fuel consumption experienced by the average driver is typically 25 percent higher than what is printed on the sales sticker," Peter Mock, managing director of ICCT Europe, said.
That difference in fuel use costs drivers on average an extra 300 euros (US$390) per year, said the report, which was based on data from nearly half a million private and company vehicles across Europe.
Previous research has shown how carmakers have perfected the art of lowering fuel use and thus emissions in laboratory tests, through measures such as using tires with extra traction. But the car industry agrees on the need for change. VDA, which represents the German industry, has said it is "working actively" on reform of the testing regime.
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