New Green NCAP emissions initiative launched

A new eco rating system called Green NCAP has been launched to highlight the least and most polluting new cars in Europe, mirroring the well-known Euro NCAP five star safety system.

Green NCAP is an independent initiative which promotes the development of cars which are clean, energy efficient and not harmful to the environment. It aims to improve air quality, to maximise the use of resources used for passenger transportation and to reduce global warming.

The scheme is run by a consortium comprising European governments, motoring clubs, consumer groups and universities, hosted and supported by the European New Car Assessment Programme (Euro NCAP).

It makes use of independent test laboratories in eight European countries to compile information about cars’ performance in tests said to go well beyond legislative requirements, and to uncover the differences between manufacturers’ emissions-control strategies.

At the moment, Green NCAP considers only the energy used while driving but in time, well-to-wheel and ultimately the whole life-cycle will be considered, including the energy used to produce the vehicle, the energy it consumes in its lifetime and the energy needed to scrap and recycle its parts.

Commenting on the new programme, Pierre Castaing, chairman of Euro NCAP, said: “For years, there has been a mismatch between the way cars perform in regulatory tests and how they perform on the road.

“Consumers often don’t get the fuel economy officially claimed for their vehicles and end up paying for the difference in fuel. Now, legislation is tightening up, but consumer testing can complement it and go a step further: it can really encourage car manufacturers to beat their competitors by innovating in the field of energy efficiency and emission reduction. We’re confident that they will respond to the challenge, to the benefit of car-buyers and the environment.”

The first batch of Green NCAP results covers 12 cars with two electric vehicles: the Hyundai Ioniq and the BMW i3 receiving a maximum five star rating. The VW up! GTI received four stars, the BMW X1 2.0d and the Mercedes-Benz A200 both getting three stars, while the Ford Fiesta 1.0 EcoBoost was rated as two stars.

The Audi A7 50 TDI, The Volvo XC40 T5 and the Subaru Outback 2.5 received one star.

Three cars: the VW Golf 1.6TDI, the FIAT Panda 1.0 and the previous Ford Fiesta 1.0 EcoBoost  received zero-star ratings.

All three of the zero-star cars are approved to Euro 6b emissions standards, which is still valid for models introduced before September 2017. However, from September this year, all cars will have to meet the tougher standards of Euro 6d-Temp and updated versions of these cars will be rated in the next round of tests.

The results under the current testing form indicate that electric cars offer drivers the greenest option when buying a car. However, Green NCAP plans to include driving range in its assessment, and ultimately, will look at the whole life-cycle of the vehicle, which may close the gap between electric cars and those powered by diesel or gasoline fuels.

The organisation added that for some petrol and diesel cars, there is a trade-off between pollutant-control and good energy efficiency. The results highlight the strategies that manufacturers have used in order to achieve one or the other but the Green NCAP rating scheme presses for both.

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