New AIR index shows on-road car emissions

City clean air policy makers, fleet managers and car buyers in general now have access to an independent, standardised on-road car emissions' ratings tool, following the launch of the new AIR emissions index.

The AIR Index is an international, independent and standardised rating system that reveals accurately how much pollution a vehicle produces when driven in towns and cities.

The slump in diesel car sales shows that car buyers across the world are confused about petrol and diesel emissions following the US scandal around emissions software, but until now have only been able to use the information provided by car makers’ own tests which many clearly don’t trust, said a spokesman.

Consequently, the AIR Index has been created to inform and empower car buyers and city policy makers with the real facts about vehicle emissions when making choices about car purchase and usage.

A simple A-E colour-coded rating shows the difference between clean and dirty vehicles. The results of the six vehicles tested by AIR, on display at the launch event and rated in the AIR Index are:

AIR has now commissioned a programme of vehicle testing and more results will be added to the AIR Index periodically.

Massimo Fedeli, co-founder and operations director of AIR, said: “The AIR Index is a game changer. It gives easy to understand, at-a-glance information on actual vehicle emissions in towns and cities.

“It compiles the results of the most independent, consistent and thorough tests ever carried out. It provides new car buyers with the answers they need to make the right purchasing choices, it makes the industry accountable to produce cleaner cars and gives cities and policy makers the accurate data to create fair policies.

“We have worked hard over the last year with our expert academic and industry group to deliver European standardisation for the AIR Index through the CEN Workshop Agreement.

“For the first time there are comparative ratings between vehicles as a result of setting tough but fair testing criteria, all conducted on the road in real driving conditions. The same standardised test is applied to each different car type.

“For the first time, policy makers have the ability to improve urban air quality, using the AIR Index to control vehicle access, without penalising consumers unfairly because the vehicle that they bought in good faith is dirtier, on the road, than they were led to believe."

Nick Molden, co-founder of AIR, added: “The transparent publication of independent, on-road emissions testing results is the most efficient way to improve air quality.

“The AIR Index removes the confusion among car buyers and policy makers around petrol and diesel emissions, and around testing processes. Our tests go further than current car approval testing WLTP (Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Testing Procedure) and RDE (Real Driving Emissions).

“WLTP is a step in the right direction but is still conducted in the laboratory and is not fully independent. RDE comes too late to solve the problem of very high NOx emitting diesel vehicles driving through our towns and cities.

“In our testing, we have found a number of the newest Euro 6 cars still emit significantly more NOx on the road than in the laboratory test used for their type approval.

“Our tests also reveal some diesel cars are cleaner than petrol ones and some older cars are cleaner than newer ones. Change is already underway for new diesel cars and we believe the AIR Index can accelerate that change with car makers and policy makers aligned to changing our cities’ air quality – for the better.”

Gerry Keaney, Chief Executive of the BVRLA in the UK, commented: “Companies engaged in vehicle rental, leasing and fleet management will welcome the transparency on urban NOx emissions provided through the AIR Index.

“This is a win-win solution for fleet owners and policy makers, offering independent guidance to select the cleanest vehicles which will improve air quality now. The Index should not be used to create retrospective air quality policies that would punish fleets for vehicle choices they have already made based on less accurate NOx data.

"Already the UK has seen levels of CO2 from car exhausts increase for the first time in 20 years because of the switch away from diesel and back to petrol engines," he said.

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