Study Indicates Cars Pollute and Guzzle 20% More Fuel Than Claimed!
European Union’s First Commission has discovered that, generally, the fuel efficiency and eco-friendliness of most cars are significantly lower than what the official WLTP tests indicate.
A recent investigation indicates that, on average, fuel efficiency and Carbon dioxide emissions are about 20 per cent poorer than the numbers reported by WLTP.
Conducted by the European Union's First Commission, the study analysed 600,000 vehicles, revealing that petrol cars tend to be 24 per cent less efficient and more polluting than their WLTP ratings suggest, while diesel counterparts miss their emissions and MPG targets by 18 per cent.
Plug-in hybrid (PHEV) vehicles pose an even greater concern. The Commission highlights that PHEVs typically release 3.5 times more CO2 during real-world driving than what’s officially indicated in WLTP test outcomes.
To address this, the EU plans to introduce updated assessments for PHEVs by 2025. These will refine the "utility factor calculation," which predicts the proportion of electrically driven distance. In simpler terms, the tests will be fine-tuned with actual driving data to better reflect when the car switches between electric and petrol power.
However, according to the First Commission’s findings, there's a call for additional measures to enhance monitoring for WLTP tests, including factors like weather, air conditioning usage, and road gradient, to better reflect everyday driving conditions.
Auto Express, known for its real-world driving tests, has consistently underscored that WLTP figures represent optimistic scenarios. For instance, their recent comparison between the Mercedes GLA 250e and the Alfa Romeo Tonale revealed that both cars' plug-in hybrid systems fell far short of the 250-mile+ WLTP estimates, achieving less than 40mpg instead.
In 2017, the WLTP examinations superseded the outdated NEDC evaluations regarding fuel efficiency and emissions, resulting in outcomes more reflective of real-world driving conditions. Nevertheless, a notable disparity persists between these lab-derived metrics and actual driving experiences for motorists.
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Source and Image: AutoExpress UK