Critics Say EU's New Vehicle Test Cycle Won’t Fix Accuracy Issue

Real-world fuel economy of cars sold in Europe falls about 35% short of the efficiency estimates derived from the EU's currently mandated test procedure. But the EU's proposed new test cycle will narrow the gap only to 23% by 2020, critics claim.

The EU wants to replace the 40-year-old New European Driving Cycle with the more tightly defined Worldwide Harmonized Light Vehicles Test Procedure by 2017. But a report from the U.K. Committee on Climate Change says the new laboratory-based test contains enough loopholes to elude the EU's goal of providing consumers with accurate fuel economy estimates.

The report, which was produced for the committee by the International Council on Clean Transportation and the U.K.'s Element Energy consultancy, suggests the EU adopt the U.S. system, which measures fuel economy by randomly testing vehicles taken from the road. Researchers say such a procedure could reduce the gap between real-world and lab results to about 5% by 2025.

Carmakers want more time to prepare for any change in today's NEDC procedure. They worry that an unfavorable shift in results will add cost and disrupt their schedules for reaching the EU's lower emission targets.