Study:cars consume more fuel than reported
On average, real-world fuel consumption is 25 percent higher than official test figures, according to a study published tuesday by the international council of clean transportation (ICCT).
Moreover, on average, only half of the CO2 improvements indicated in the tests over the years are actually achieved on the road.
The main problem is the test procedure, the "new european driving cycle" (NEDC), according to the study. In these tests, manufacturers optimized their vehicles by using special lubricants and tires, shifting gears to reduce fuel consumption, and manipulating the brakes to reduce rolling resistance.
The accusation is not new: even in the past, ADAC and environmental aid organizations criticized the fact that the values determined did not correspond to the consumption achieved on the road. According to the ADAC, manufacturers are taking advantage of the leeway they are given.
Car manufacturers defend themselves against the accusations: "the comparison of the NEDC with the "reality is not very meaningful," said a spokesman for the german association of the automotive industry (VDA).
The NEDC is a test prescribed and certified by the EU and does not correspond to the driving profile of an individual car driver. The cars are not tested on the road, but on the chassis dynamometer. According to the spokesman, this is not a violation of the law. On the contrary: that the air conditioning is switched off is, for example, a requirement of the EU. At a constant 80 kilometers per hour, a driver could well undercut the NEDC values, according to the spokesman. In the traffic jam, however, it also lies above.
The issue is currently gaining attention because the future limits for CO2 emissions are being discussed in brussel. Speeches are currently being held by representatives of the EU member states, the EU parliament and the EU commission. Irish eu presidency wants agreement by end of june.
According to current plans, the emission of carbon dioxide (CO2), which is harmful to the climate, is to be reduced in the EU to an average of 95 grams per kilometer for the manufacturers’ new car fleets by 2020. That corresponds to around four liters of gasoline consumption. Currently a target value of 130 grams applies.
These values are currently determined by the NEDC test cycle criticized in the ICCT study. A new procedure – called worldwide harmonized light vehicles test procedures (WLTP) – is being developed to replace the NEDC. The EU parliament wants to introduce the new testing methods in 2017.
Green party leader renate kunast demanded on tuesday that the speed of the introduction of the WLTP be increased
"to increase significantly". Car manufacturers, on the other hand, are calling for the NEDC to be used to determine CO2 values until at least 2020. "Otherwise it would be like changing the rules of the game in the middle of a soccer match and sending more players onto the pitch," said the VDA spokesman.
In order to lower fuel costs for consumers, help is on the horizon from another source: the fuel price reporting office planned by the cartel office is expected to report the first price data within the next eight weeks. Head of the cartel office andreas mundt said at a conference with representatives of the mineral oil industry and information service providers that after a test phase, the data should then be made available to motorists "as soon as possible.
The price information should be sent to drivers via smartphone apps, navigation systems and the internet, so that they can select the most favorable gas station in each case. ADAC president peter meyer had already announced a gasoline price app by ADAC at the beginning of may.
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