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UK Car Emissions Testing

UK Car Emissions Testing

Since 1992, the European Union has imposed increasingly rigorous boundaries on emissions from cars through what are called ‘Euro’ standards. Euro six is the latest version of these standards, and from one September two thousand fifteen all fresh cars have had to meet its thresholds. A Euro six car produces just a little fraction of the pollutants emitted by a Euro one car, and much less than those from a Euro Five.

A 2nd stage of Euro six is being introduced progressively from September 2017, after which all freshly approved cars will be tested to meet the thresholds in a multitude of on-road conditions – proving that the enormous reductions in emissions are delivered outside of the lab and on the road

Euro 6: the cleanest cars in history

Euro six standards impose the harshest vehicle emissions thresholds yet, pushing the boundaries of emissions technologies to produce ever-lower levels of the harass pollutants that influence air quality.

Diesel particulate filters (DPFs) capture 99% of all soot particulates, and are now fitted to every fresh diesel car.

NOx emissions have also been drastically diminished, with innovative emissions technologies watching levels fall 84% since 2000.

Euro standards for cars

*includes NOx and HC

You can find out whether your car meets Euro six standards, by injecting its details into the emissions look-up device on the Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA) website or by contacting the manufacturer.

All fresh cars must go through stringent official measurement of their CO2 and air quality emissions before they are approved for sale. Until September 2017, this involved a single test known as the Fresh European Drive Cycle (NEDC). The test, which was designed back in the 1980s, took place in a managed laboratory environment to provide consistent benchmarking information so vehicles could be compared against each other, wherever they were tested.

What are the conditions of laboratory testing?

Just as with previous NEDC test, the fresh WLTP test is carried out in a managed temperature and environment, and the car must be representative of the vehicle as it is produced.

All of the vehicle’s components must be present and cannot be tampered with. For example, the alternator belt must be intact and the brakes must function fully to pass testing. The vehicle will be checked to ensure it has the same tyre pressures, fluid levels and components as it would have on the road.

The EU test operates in rigorous conditions and is witnessed by a government-appointed independent approval agency. In the UK, this is the Vehicle Certification Agency, which is responsible to the Department for Transport.

Do manufacturers publish figures from the lab test?

Manufacturers are required by law to publish the official lab test figures for each of their vehicles’ CO2 emissions and miles per gallon. This ensures that consumers can make reliable comparisons inbetween vehicles, based on figures produced through a tightly managed, repeatable test.

For other emissions such as NOx and PM, the lab results are used in a pass/fail test to determine whether a vehicle meets the official EU emissions boundaries in order for it to be sold. Again, the rigorous conditions of the lab test ensure that the results are scientifically sturdy.

The previous NEDC test was last updated in 1997, and over the past twenty years, vehicles have advanced at a rapid rate, with high tech safety and convenience features, from electronic stability control, parking sensors and airbags, to air conditioning, heated windscreens and electrified seats now increasingly fitted as standard. However, they way they were tested did not keep rhythm, resulting in a gap inbetween spectacle in the lab and on-road where fitment of these in-car technologies can differ across models, and conditions such as speed, congestion, road surface and driving style, can vary from journey to journey and driver to driver.

EU regulators and national governments have been working, with the support of the automotive industry, to address this by making testing more relevant to modern vehicles and consumer needs.

In September 2017, a fresh official EU-wide emissions testing system was introduced for fresh car models, which includes a fresh laboratory test and, for the very first time in the world, an on-road test.

The fresh lab test is called the Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure (WLTP) and is longer, quicker and more dynamic than ever before.

The WLTP test procedure has been designed to better represent modern day driving situations, and substitutes the previous Fresh European Driving Cycle (NEDC).

In addition to this an on-road test called Real Driving Emissions (RDE) is also being introduced for the very first time, to better reflect the many and varied conditions involved in ‘real-world’ driving such as speed, congestion, road conditions and driving style.

What the WLTP test will involve

More realistic driving behaviour:

• Higher average and maximum speeds
• Shorter stops
• Longer test distance and time
• Higher average and maximum drive power
• Test temperature set at 23°C, but corrected to a more representative 14°C for European conditions
• Different gear shifts
• More rapid acceleration/deceleration
• Better range of driving conditions to represent the city, urban, A road and motorway
• Fuel consumption and emissions figures that better represent the results likely to be achieved by a consumer

The test will measure:

• Fuel consumption
• CO2 emissions
• Pollutant emissions
• Energy consumption for electrical vehicles and plug-in hybrids

Real Driving Emissions (RDE)

The WLTP is complemented by an on-road test called Real Driving Emissions (RDE), which will ensure the vehicle’s lab test spectacle is matched on the road. RDE works by fitting equipment called a Portable Emissions Measurement System (PEMS) to the vehicle, which measures emissions while the vehicle is driven on the road.

Given the phat differences in temperature, road and vehicle conditions as well as driving styles, no lab test can ever replicate exactly what happens on the road. RDE testing will demonstrate that fresh cars’ low emissions are achieved in these real world conditions.

RDE will also include some extreme driving conditions, infrequently encountered by most motorists, for example carrying a intense flow up a steep hill at high speed in very low temperatures.

To permit for the margins of error in very sensitive PEMS equipment and the test itself, there is a tolerance permitted on top of the laboratory thresholds – known as the conformity factor.

If the vehicle meets these requirements, as independently witnessed by a government-appointed independent approval agency, it will be approved for sale in Europe.

UK Car Emissions Testing

UK Car Emissions Testing

Since 1992, the European Union has imposed increasingly rigorous boundaries on emissions from cars through what are called ‘Euro’ standards. Euro six is the latest version of these standards, and from one September two thousand fifteen all fresh cars have had to meet its thresholds. A Euro six car produces just a lil’ fraction of the pollutants emitted by a Euro one car, and much less than those from a Euro Five.

A 2nd stage of Euro six is being introduced progressively from September 2017, after which all freshly approved cars will be tested to meet the boundaries in a multiplicity of on-road conditions – proving that the ample reductions in emissions are delivered outside of the lab and on the road

Euro 6: the cleanest cars in history

Euro six standards impose the roughest vehicle emissions thresholds yet, pushing the boundaries of emissions technologies to produce ever-lower levels of the harass pollutants that influence air quality.

Diesel particulate filters (DPFs) capture 99% of all soot particulates, and are now fitted to every fresh diesel car.

NOx emissions have also been drastically diminished, with innovative emissions technologies eyeing levels fall 84% since 2000.

Euro standards for cars

*includes NOx and HC

You can find out whether your car meets Euro six standards, by injecting its details into the emissions look-up instrument on the Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA) website or by contacting the manufacturer.

All fresh cars must fall under stringent official measurement of their CO2 and air quality emissions before they are approved for sale. Until September 2017, this involved a single test known as the Fresh European Drive Cycle (NEDC). The test, which was designed back in the 1980s, took place in a managed laboratory environment to provide consistent benchmarking information so vehicles could be compared against each other, wherever they were tested.

What are the conditions of laboratory testing?

Just as with previous NEDC test, the fresh WLTP test is carried out in a managed temperature and environment, and the car must be representative of the vehicle as it is produced.

All of the vehicle’s components must be present and cannot be tampered with. For example, the alternator belt must be intact and the brakes must function fully to pass testing. The vehicle will be checked to ensure it has the same tyre pressures, fluid levels and components as it would have on the road.

The EU test operates in rigorous conditions and is witnessed by a government-appointed independent approval agency. In the UK, this is the Vehicle Certification Agency, which is responsible to the Department for Transport.

Do manufacturers publish figures from the lab test?

Manufacturers are required by law to publish the official lab test figures for each of their vehicles’ CO2 emissions and miles per gallon. This ensures that consumers can make reliable comparisons inbetween vehicles, based on figures produced through a tightly managed, repeatable test.

For other emissions such as NOx and PM, the lab results are used in a pass/fail test to determine whether a vehicle meets the official EU emissions thresholds in order for it to be sold. Again, the rigorous conditions of the lab test ensure that the results are scientifically sturdy.

The previous NEDC test was last updated in 1997, and over the past twenty years, vehicles have advanced at a rapid rate, with high tech safety and convenience features, from electronic stability control, parking sensors and airbags, to air conditioning, heated windscreens and electrified seats now increasingly fitted as standard. However, they way they were tested did not keep tempo, resulting in a gap inbetween spectacle in the lab and on-road where fitment of these in-car technologies can differ across models, and conditions such as speed, congestion, road surface and driving style, can vary from journey to journey and driver to driver.

EU regulators and national governments have been working, with the support of the automotive industry, to address this by making testing more relevant to modern vehicles and consumer needs.

In September 2017, a fresh official EU-wide emissions testing system was introduced for fresh car models, which includes a fresh laboratory test and, for the very first time in the world, an on-road test.

The fresh lab test is called the Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure (WLTP) and is longer, swifter and more dynamic than ever before.

The WLTP test procedure has been designed to better represent modern day driving situations, and substitutes the previous Fresh European Driving Cycle (NEDC).

In addition to this an on-road test called Real Driving Emissions (RDE) is also being introduced for the very first time, to better reflect the many and varied conditions involved in ‘real-world’ driving such as speed, congestion, road conditions and driving style.

What the WLTP test will involve

More realistic driving behaviour:

• Higher average and maximum speeds
• Shorter stops
• Longer test distance and time
• Higher average and maximum drive power
• Test temperature set at 23°C, but corrected to a more representative 14°C for European conditions
• Different gear shifts
• More rapid acceleration/deceleration
• Better range of driving conditions to represent the city, urban, A road and motorway
• Fuel consumption and emissions figures that better represent the results likely to be achieved by a consumer

The test will measure:

• Fuel consumption
• CO2 emissions
• Pollutant emissions
• Energy consumption for electrified vehicles and plug-in hybrids

Real Driving Emissions (RDE)

The WLTP is complemented by an on-road test called Real Driving Emissions (RDE), which will ensure the vehicle’s lab test spectacle is matched on the road. RDE works by fitting equipment called a Portable Emissions Measurement System (PEMS) to the vehicle, which measures emissions while the vehicle is driven on the road.

Given the gigantic differences in temperature, road and vehicle conditions as well as driving styles, no lab test can ever replicate exactly what happens on the road. RDE testing will demonstrate that fresh cars’ low emissions are achieved in these real world conditions.

RDE will also include some extreme driving conditions, uncommonly encountered by most motorists, for example carrying a intense geyser up a steep hill at high speed in very low temperatures.

To permit for the margins of error in very sensitive PEMS equipment and the test itself, there is a tolerance permitted on top of the laboratory boundaries – known as the conformity factor.

If the vehicle meets these requirements, as independently witnessed by a government-appointed independent approval agency, it will be approved for sale in Europe.

UK Car Emissions Testing

UK Car Emissions Testing

Since 1992, the European Union has imposed increasingly stringent thresholds on emissions from cars through what are called ‘Euro’ standards. Euro six is the latest version of these standards, and from one September two thousand fifteen all fresh cars have had to meet its boundaries. A Euro six car produces just a little fraction of the pollutants emitted by a Euro one car, and much less than those from a Euro Five.

A 2nd stage of Euro six is being introduced progressively from September 2017, after which all freshly approved cars will be tested to meet the thresholds in a multitude of on-road conditions – proving that the hefty reductions in emissions are delivered outside of the lab and on the road

Euro 6: the cleanest cars in history

Euro six standards impose the harshest vehicle emissions thresholds yet, pushing the boundaries of emissions technologies to produce ever-lower levels of the harass pollutants that influence air quality.

Diesel particulate filters (DPFs) capture 99% of all soot particulates, and are now fitted to every fresh diesel car.

NOx emissions have also been drastically diminished, with innovative emissions technologies watching levels fall 84% since 2000.

Euro standards for cars

*includes NOx and HC

You can find out whether your car meets Euro six standards, by coming in its details into the emissions look-up device on the Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA) website or by contacting the manufacturer.

All fresh cars must fall under rigorous official measurement of their CO2 and air quality emissions before they are approved for sale. Until September 2017, this involved a single test known as the Fresh European Drive Cycle (NEDC). The test, which was designed back in the 1980s, took place in a managed laboratory environment to provide consistent benchmarking information so vehicles could be compared against each other, wherever they were tested.

What are the conditions of laboratory testing?

Just as with previous NEDC test, the fresh WLTP test is carried out in a managed temperature and environment, and the car must be representative of the vehicle as it is produced.

All of the vehicle’s components must be present and cannot be tampered with. For example, the alternator belt must be intact and the brakes must function fully to pass testing. The vehicle will be checked to ensure it has the same tyre pressures, fluid levels and components as it would have on the road.

The EU test operates in rigorous conditions and is witnessed by a government-appointed independent approval agency. In the UK, this is the Vehicle Certification Agency, which is responsible to the Department for Transport.

Do manufacturers publish figures from the lab test?

Manufacturers are required by law to publish the official lab test figures for each of their vehicles’ CO2 emissions and miles per gallon. This ensures that consumers can make reliable comparisons inbetween vehicles, based on figures produced through a tightly managed, repeatable test.

For other emissions such as NOx and PM, the lab results are used in a pass/fail test to determine whether a vehicle meets the official EU emissions boundaries in order for it to be sold. Again, the stringent conditions of the lab test ensure that the results are scientifically sturdy.

The previous NEDC test was last updated in 1997, and over the past twenty years, vehicles have advanced at a rapid rate, with high tech safety and convenience features, from electronic stability control, parking sensors and airbags, to air conditioning, heated windscreens and electrified seats now increasingly fitted as standard. However, they way they were tested did not keep tempo, resulting in a gap inbetween spectacle in the lab and on-road where fitment of these in-car technologies can differ across models, and conditions such as speed, congestion, road surface and driving style, can vary from journey to journey and driver to driver.

EU regulators and national governments have been working, with the support of the automotive industry, to address this by making testing more relevant to modern vehicles and consumer needs.

In September 2017, a fresh official EU-wide emissions testing system was introduced for fresh car models, which includes a fresh laboratory test and, for the very first time in the world, an on-road test.

The fresh lab test is called the Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure (WLTP) and is longer, quicker and more dynamic than ever before.

The WLTP test procedure has been designed to better represent modern day driving situations, and substitutes the previous Fresh European Driving Cycle (NEDC).

In addition to this an on-road test called Real Driving Emissions (RDE) is also being introduced for the very first time, to better reflect the many and varied conditions involved in ‘real-world’ driving such as speed, congestion, road conditions and driving style.

What the WLTP test will involve

More realistic driving behaviour:

• Higher average and maximum speeds
• Shorter stops
• Longer test distance and time
• Higher average and maximum drive power
• Test temperature set at 23°C, but corrected to a more representative 14°C for European conditions
• Different gear shifts
• More rapid acceleration/deceleration
• Better range of driving conditions to represent the city, urban, A road and motorway
• Fuel consumption and emissions figures that better represent the results likely to be achieved by a consumer

The test will measure:

• Fuel consumption
• CO2 emissions
• Pollutant emissions
• Energy consumption for electrical vehicles and plug-in hybrids

Real Driving Emissions (RDE)

The WLTP is complemented by an on-road test called Real Driving Emissions (RDE), which will ensure the vehicle’s lab test spectacle is matched on the road. RDE works by fitting equipment called a Portable Emissions Measurement System (PEMS) to the vehicle, which measures emissions while the vehicle is driven on the road.

Given the thick differences in temperature, road and vehicle conditions as well as driving styles, no lab test can ever replicate exactly what happens on the road. RDE testing will demonstrate that fresh cars’ low emissions are achieved in these real world conditions.

RDE will also include some extreme driving conditions, uncommonly encountered by most motorists, for example carrying a strenuous stream up a steep hill at high speed in very low temperatures.

To permit for the margins of error in very sensitive PEMS equipment and the test itself, there is a tolerance permitted on top of the laboratory boundaries – known as the conformity factor.

If the vehicle meets these requirements, as independently witnessed by a government-appointed independent approval agency, it will be approved for sale in Europe.

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