Diesel fuelled cars have made startling progress in overtaking their rivals in cutting emissions and reducing pollution, according to the latest findings of a rigorous environmental testing programme set up by the FIA Foundation.
The EcoTest programme, which started two years ago, builds up a profile of the environmental performance of a range of popular car models from Alfa Romeo and Audi, to Volvo and VW. The database was set up by the German automobile club ADAC and was sponsored by the FIA Foundation.
New figures show that overall, hybrid engines are the best performers tending to achieve superior ratings to petrol fuelled cars. However, diesel technologies such as particle filters and selective catalytic reduction show “very promising results”, according to EcoTest. In future, it is expected that diesel engines will perform as well as the best petrol fuelled cars.
Director General of the FIA Foundation David Ward said that independent data is crucial to show consumers the true environmental impact of cars.
“This gives an independent assessment of the overall performance both toxic and green house gas emissions,” he said. “It will also help inform the choices that consumers make when buying cars.
Test results have been published on a new website – www.ecotest.eu. Visitors to the site can either download a table covering all car models or can search for specific figures according to manufacturer, engine type, vehicle class and emission standard.
Cars were tested for exhaust pollutants including hydrocarbons, particulate matter, nitrogen oxide and carbon monoxide. They were also assessed for CO2 emissions.
At the top of the EcoTest table was the Toyota Prius 1.5 Hybrid closely followed by the Volvo V70 BiFuel. Bottom of the table, with the highest pollution rating, was the VW Sharan 2.8 Gasol along with the KIA RIO 1.5 Diesel which had a high CO2 emissions rating.
Björn Dosch Director of Transport Affairs at the ADAC said that the EcoTest programme was designed with motorists in mind.
“We’ve tried to look through the eyes of the consumer. Of course, need the absolute information but we also need the relative information because consumers want to compare different types of cars,” he said.
“Today, what we’ve seen is that hybrid cars show the best performance both in terms of pollutants and CO2 emissions.”
In addition, the results show that over the last decade, there have been greater improvements in cutting exhaust pollution than in reducing CO2 emissions. EcoTest also found that biomass fuels have “significant potential” for CO2 reduction and are likely to outstrip conventional fuel performance in future.