Manufacturers cheating fuel tests

6/05/14

By Verena Vogt

A Brussels-primarily based transport stress group has accused automobile producers of cheating the program in a bid to meet emission targets and trick motorists into getting their automobiles.

Transport & Atmosphere (T&E), which is promoting sustainable policies in the sector, mentioned motorists are obtaining to devote up to a quarter a lot more on petrol than official carbon dioxide figures suggest.

New figures claim that a common new car sold in Europe final year came with carbon dioxide emissions of 127g/km, which signifies motorists need to be capable to drive a distance of 56.5 miles per gallon of petrol.

This would recommend that automobile producers have  currently exceeded the 130g/km target set for 2015.

Tricks to boost mpg

Nonetheless, T&E’;s own study found that the actual average is far decrease, at about 45 miles per gallon.

The campaign group stated this is achieved by a variety of tricks.

These consist of taping over gaps in the panel to decrease wind resistance, utilizing ultra-low-friction oils in the gearbox or engine, and angling the wheels to minimize the amount of tyre which is in make contact with with the road.

TNO, a Dutch test organisation, found that these strategies are employed whilst the test vehicle is being driven to establish its “road load curve”.

The data, which is linked to the testing-laboratory’;s rolling road, is then entered into a personal computer programme, and the reduce-than-regular road load curve leads to  far better CO2 and mpg figures.

‘Standards getting undermined’;

In a statement, T&E’;s clean cars manager Greg Archer said: “Fuel efficiency standards…are getting undermined by an obsolete test.

“The test procedures are a Swiss cheese, full of loopholes, that car makers exploit to exaggerate improvements in fuel economy and emissions.”

The European Commission now desires to introduce a new test within 3 years’; time which it is hoped will much more closely reflect true-world driving.

Even so, the proposals are being opposed by auto companies, which do not want the new test to be introduced until  soon after 2021 – when they must reduce carbon dioxide emissions of all new cars to an average of 95g/km or threat getting fined.

1 way to keep away from prosecution over CO2 emission would be for companies to sell much more electric automobiles.|

These do not emit any carbon dioxide and can be used to offset any sales of much more CO2-creating automobiles.

Manufacturers cheating fuel tests