Car fuel economy and CO2 claims are (one-third) hot air!

Wow, we do get to read some fascinating reports for this blog (!).  The excitingly entitled report "Supporting Analysis regarding Test Procedure Flexibilities and Technology Deployment for Review of the Light Duty Vehicle CO2 Regulations (Service request #6 for Framework Contract on Vehicle Emissions) was published by the European Commission in December 2012.  

The research by the Dutch consultancy TNO looked at ‘manipulations/flexibilities’ in the "type" approval testing for vehicles in the European Union. 

The report states that up to two thirds of officially recorded emissions "can be credited to improved technologies". However, at least one third of the vehicle emissions (9g/km) are "likely to be the result of car makers manipulating the test procedures" and that the "estimate of the potential impact of test procedure flexibilities and their level of utilisation in the 2002-10 period appears to explain the remaining gap."

For many years, there have been concerns about the recorded discrepancies between the officially certified emissions of cars and what they actually emit when out on the road. Previously, these concerns focused on the appropriateness of "test cycles". But the growing gap between real-world driving and manufacturers test result claims led to the recent research on how test results can be manipulated by car manufactureres using "flexibilities" in their testing procedures.  

The TNO report supports an earlier German study (1) showed emissions savings recorded in Germany were only half the amount suggested by official figures.  This research, by the International Council on Clean Transportation compared official test results with a database of real-world fuel consumption in Germany using data from the website www.spritmonitor.de. 

ICCT compared over 28,000 records of real-world emissions with the official CO2 figures for the same vehicles. The report concluded that between 2001-2010, CO2 emissions in Germany fell 15% according to official figures, but that drivers reported only a 7% improvement. As a result, the fall in CO2 emissions from the average vehicle between 2006 and 2010 was officially 12% (173 g/km down to 152g) but in reality only reduced by 6% (190g down to 179g).

With Britain and Manchester failing to meet European Union air pollution targets - and likely to be on the receiving end of some large fines - we need car manufacturers to come clean about the real levels of CO2 and other pollution emissions from the vehicles that are manufactured and driven within the UK and the European Union.

Why not ask your MEP to look into the issue? You can find out who your MEP is and how to contact them via those lovely people at the Write to Them website.


(1) Discrepancies between type-approval and real-world fuel consumption and CO2 values in 2001-2011 European passenger cars. ICCT

Low emission vehicles and smoky buses

Cycling along Oxford Road the other day near Whitworth Park I noticed a lovely green (in colour) sticker in the back window of a Finglands bus which proudly proclaimed that "this is a low emission vehicle".

So I was a bit surprised to be enveloped in a cloud of black sooty fumes when the bus pulled out from the bus stop....if this was a low emission vehicle I would hate to be behind a vehicle that had high emissions!

That got me wondering who has responsibility for verifying the claims that specific vehicles meet a "low emission" standard. A quick call to GMPTE pointed me in the direction of the Dirty Diesels Campaign webpage which informs us that:

• "Well-maintained vehicles should produce very little smoke, except when they are starting up, accelerating hard, or climbing steep hills.

• However, some vehicles emit dense plumes of smoke, and may not meet legal emissions standards, they may be Dirty Diesels!

• Dirty Diesels cause air pollution, can be a health hazard and are bad for the environment."

On these criteria I don't know whether the bus I was behind would be classed as a 'dirty diesel' but if you come across a vehicle you think qualifies as a Dirty Diesel then please report it via the website form or by email to cleanervehicles@manchester.gov.uk

You will need to provide the following information:

• Vehicle registration number:

• Bus (vehicle) company name:

• Location of bus/vehicle:

• Date and time of sighting:

• Your contact details: (although you can remain anonymous if you so wish!)

Complaints about excessive or smoky emissions from commercial vehicles such as lorries, buses, coaches, will be passed to the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) the Government agency responsible for controlling exhaust emissions from such vehicles and they should supply a smoke test to show that the bus either did not breach the limit or has been fixed.

If you report a smoky taxi then the complaint will be referred to your Local Authority Licensing Section. 

GMPTE only has powers to control 'dirty diesels' on the land it directly owns (generally bus stations), but Manchester City Council (the red wardens) have powers to fine buses that are stopped and producing 'unnecessary pollution' from idling enginges. So if you know any 'hot spot' areas where this happens, report it.

Unfortunately it would appear that VOSA only keep records for 3 months which is not very good for monitoring whether specific bus companies have a poor record on emission levels. A subject matter for a future blog.

More details on air quality and transport emissions can be found on the Environmental Protection website.

Happy cycling and breathe easy.