Car manufacturers report lower carbon dioxide emissions than these measured in their actual use, based on fuel consumption.
The non-profit International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) conducted an independent research on vehicle emissions, which aims to mitigate climate change and protect public health by improving efficiency in transportation.
The findings indicate that on average carbon dioxide emissions are about 25% higher than these stated by the leading car makers. Luxury German vehicles including BMW and Volkswagen AG’s luxury unit Audi showed the highest discrepancies, reporting up to 30% lower emission values. Toyota, Renault and PSA Peugeot Citron publish values that are around 15% lower than estimated.
According to specialists in the field, discrepancies in these numbers are often found, mainly due to different driving behaviour. Unfortunately, car makers use this information to exploit loopholes in the testing procedures. It has been established that in laboratory testing, a common practice is to use tires with extra traction or very smooth driving surfaces.
Based on this findings, EU will have to reform the vehicle testing procedures and tighten EU laws, especially considering the carbon dioxide vehicle emission targets of 95 grams of CO2 per kilometre, which should be met by 2020.
By 2017, the EU Parliament is expected to have voted stricter regulations.
