New cars need more Fuel than indicated

The fuel consumption is today, for many buyers, an important criterion in the selection of your dream car. However, when fuel consumption – and thus also to the emissions of greenhouse gases – between official figures and real values still worlds apart. This is a study by the independent research organization the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) shows. The real fuel consumption of new cars, spent on average 39 percent higher than the manufacturers specified test fuel consumption, according to the organization, which was also involved in the detection of the VW scandal.

The report is based on a statistical analysis of the data for more than 1.3 million vehicles out of a total of eight European countries – also from Switzerland. The data are based on figures supplied by major leasing companies. But also information of fuel consumption, portals and specialist magazines were included in the calculations.

in this Country, the Touring Club Switzerland (TCS) has contributed information. The TCS has undergone a dozen of the most popular new car of the year 2017 in-depth Tests. Although the number of test vehicles, compared to other countries, but the statement hardly anything changes: here, Too, the actual consumption is 35 percent above the manufacturer's specifications. The measurement of success in the field and not created under laboratory conditions.

improvement

the consequences of The deviations are severe. Firstly, the higher CO2-complicate the values in the fight against climate change – the transport sector is lagging behind in the reduction of greenhouse gases anyway. On the other, more expenditure is incurred for car drivers, because they spend more money for fuel.

However, the auditors noted in the statistics, a slight, but noticeable change. "For the first Time since 2012, we started with our annual evaluation of the fuel consumption data, we find a slight decrease in the gap between the official and actual consumption," says Uwe Tietge, one of the ICCT researcher and Co-author of the study. "Previously, the deviation increased from year to year."

eleven years ago, the actual values varied around 15 percent. In 2013, there were already 25 per cent. The deviations between the official and actual consumption today is more than four times as high as in 2001. Because fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions of a vehicle directly together, was, therefore, carried out only a part of the on the paper provided CO2 reductions.

As, indeed, in measurements as significant differences can arise, declare auditor for a large part with the whitewashing. The main cause of the discrepancy ICCT-Europe-in-chief Peter Mock sees the fact that the car would have exploited corporations use loopholes in the regulation. So many for the test bench used cars are optimized specifically for the test situation. The manufacturer could, for example, to prepare the tires of a vehicle specifically for the Test. You would be fully inflated, in the oven, hardened and profile ground, so you have a little more friction. The brakes were loosened. Air conditioning and all other consumers could be switched off.

On the road different

this is not Prohibited. It is not reflected but the real driving behavior, warns Mock. On the road the vehicles had values then, in part, very different fuel consumption. The ICCT researchers suspect that the increased public interest in the real-world emissions from vehicles have led to the diesel scandal to a decrease in the deviation.

In the EU, the CO2 emissions of new passenger cars will decrease between 2021 and 2030, to 37.5 percent. "The legislature has learned from previous mistakes," says Mock. Because the manufacturer will be required as of 2021, now, to monitor the real fuel consumption and real CO2-emissions of their cars by a fuel consumption measuring devices.

Tougher rules

The car manufacturers Association VDA rejected the criticism. Emission values of vehicles in the laboratory and on the road are fundamentally different. Conditions of real traffic, such as weather, traffic or topography, could simply not be tested.

in Addition, the individual driving style have a significant impact on fuel consumption. Now applicable more stringent test procedure would reduce the discrepancies. The consumer can get more reliability.

The ICCT has doubts as to whether the trickery really stop. The environmentalists would still have a "watchful eye" on the exhaust emission measurements in the industry, announced Mock and called for tougher rules.

The EU Commission should, if possible, to develop a method to punish the manufacturer, the provided by unrealistically low figures for consumption is an advantage. Only in this way could it be possible to reduce the size of the deviation.

(editing Tamedia)

Created: 21.01.2019, 22:28 PM