Europe’s carmakers ‘tricking’ drivers on fuel efficiency, new report claims

[webfact]

Europe’s carmakers ‘tricking’ drivers on fuel efficiency, new report claims



BRUSSELS: -- Europe’s carmakers are taking their customers for ride by tricking them into believing their vehicles are more fuel-efficient than they actually are.

It means drivers are spending an extra four hundred and fifty euros a year on fuel as a result.

Those are the findings from a new report by lobby group Transport and Environment

Their research found the Mercedes A, C and E class, BMW’s 5 series and Peugeot 308 are out in front.

They say the cars consume 50 percent more fuel on road than they did in their lab test results.

“At the present time the tests are carried out by the manufacturers’ own laboratories, they are carried out by people been paid for, by the carmakers themselves, and even the organisations overseeing those tests are being paid by the car industry,” said Greg Archer of Transport and Environment.

Euronews tried to contact the carmakers in question, but our calls went answered.

But the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA), which represents the interests of carmakers, said in a statement: “It has always been fully understood that driving under a laboratory test cycle may be different to real-life driving conditions. The purpose of the legal test is to enable the customer to make comparisons between vehicles in terms of their pollutant and CO2 emissions, based on a standardised test.”

Transport and Enviroment’s report also says new cars in Europe spew out an additional 40 percent in CO2 emissions than their lab tests show.

Time to crack down, says Green MEP Bas Eickhout of the Netherlands.

“The European Commission knew that the real emissions were far higher than what was measured, so they could have done far more activities to make sure that car industry is complying with the standards. I think the European Commission at this moment, is too easy hiding behind national authorities,” he told euronews.

Transport and Environment now wants a wider investigation into ‘defeat devices’, calling the Volkswagen diesel scandal “just the tip of the iceberg”


-- (c) Copyright Euronews 2015-09-29

[FangFerang]

Car makers WORLDWIDE have been busy deceiving consumers like this for decades. I am amazed the article just focused on European cars--American and Japanese and Korean cars us the same internally generated ratings system.

It's like students issuing their own grades.

[peterjackson]

I'd be more shocked if they found any consumers who actually believe the tests.

Everyone has known for years fuel consumption results published by manufacturers are pure fiction in real world driving.

Even with the conflict of interest, the baseline protocol is probably similar at most manufacturers, so the consumer does get some comparison benefit, even if they won't achieve those figures in the real world.

[StefanBBK]

I'd be more shocked if they found any consumers who actually believe the tests.

Everyone has known for years fuel consumption results published by manufacturers are pure fiction in real world driving.

Even with the conflict of interest, the baseline protocol is probably similar at most manufacturers, so the consumer does get some comparison benefit, even if they won't achieve those figures in the real world.

Exactly the comment I just wanted to make.

[pedro01]

I'd be more shocked if they found any consumers who actually believe the tests.

Everyone has known for years fuel consumption results published by manufacturers are pure fiction in real world driving.

Even with the conflict of interest, the baseline protocol is probably similar at most manufacturers, so the consumer does get some comparison benefit, even if they won't achieve those figures in the real world.

Exactly the comment I just wanted to make.

Me too - those tests have always been nonsense.

Still - it would be good to see them tell the truth.

[godden]

Tits and wheels both cost you a lot of money

[nursebob]

is this one of those timely news releases to take our minds off the VW scandal.

[elgordo38]

Quote Transport and Environment now wants a wider investigation into ‘defeat devices’, calling the Volkswagen diesel scandal “just the tip of the iceberg” unquote. Yes the chickens are coming home to roost. Join the long list of scammers that have been at work for decades to deceive us. Poor government monitoring has let them get away with murder. This new world of cutbacks has just opened the door wide for these fraudsters. Give them an inch and they take a mile.

[Doc46]

I'd be more shocked if they found any consumers who actually believe the tests.

Everyone has known for years fuel consumption results published by manufacturers are pure fiction in real world driving.

Even with the conflict of interest, the baseline protocol is probably similar at most manufacturers, so the consumer does get some comparison benefit, even if they won't achieve those figures in the real world.

Exactly the comment I just wanted to make.

Me too - those tests have always been nonsense.

Still - it would be good to see them tell the truth.

That ain't going to happen.

[northernphil]

I have a Honda PCX 150 and I worked out the fuel consumption to somewhere like 120 MPG. I know someone who has a new PCX and he says he gets over 150 MPG. How do you get that I enquired . The new PCX is fitted with a meter that shows you the fuel consumption , I was told . Hmm.

[IAMHERE]

These car makers either can not make fuel efficient cars or they want to deceive us all? Maybe the standards are too ambitious.

[Hans12345]

These car makers either can not make fuel efficient cars or they want to deceive us all? Maybe the standards are too ambitious.

Off course they can do, but you think the oilcompanies would like this.

[wabothai]

Who to trust ?

[joshstiles]

this is old old news... anyone who doesnt already know this lives under a rock

been this way for years

wow...savy reporting

successful

[MockingJay]

[sbcbuilder]

This is not news, it have been going on since the invention of the internal combustion engine. All these test are done in labratories with ideal conditions weather wise and I am sure now that robots drive the car for even more precise throttle mangement. When I was in school to become a car mechanic I built an experimental V8 engine. I took a 350 V8 Chevy engine and put in a crankshaft from a 327 V8 which had a shorter stroke, that meant that the pistons did not reach the top of the block and would not have a high compression ratio, it was more like 4.5:1 that the regular 10.5:1. I also used a camshaft from a 327 V8. I built my own headers and exhaust system. I modified a Holley carb from a Corvette so that the rear throttle plates would only open after 65 MPH. The ignition system was from a 1963 425 Hp 396 Corvette, an early attempt at electronic ignition. The engine was the stock engine that came in the car , a 1969 Camaro 350 300 hp.

I modified the automatic transmission to have twice the line pressure as normal and reversed the forward shifting pattern to PRN123. This transmission was from a 4 X4 truck and had a lower first gear ratio. I was running 3:08 final drive ratio. My point was to prove that you could have both worlds, engine that got mileage and had lots of power all built with stock parts. I put a cruise controll unit I got from a wrecked police pursuit car, it was not your ordinary cruise control, it had two modes, highway or pursuit. First you set your target speed which I did at 65 mph, then pressed highway or pursuit. Highway mode was a gentle climb to the target mph. Pursuit was all out power, it would literally open the throttle wide open until it reached the setting. This was alot of fun. To test the mileage of this set up I used the same highway and the same brand of gasoline. My first test using highway mode for a one hour drive one way and then return to the starting point on the way back for another hour. I averaged 25 MPG which I was not happy with. The car was down on power so I set about to retune it. When I installed the cam I advanced it 4 degrees from stock. I knew this engine could take lots of ignition advance as there was no chance of pinging as the compression ratio was so low. The stock timing called for 8 degrees BTDC. I reset it at 36 degrees. I modified the distributor to have no advance so that means that it starts at 36 degrees and stays there. Instant results, the engine idle went up 200 rpm, now we are getting some where. On the drive home I noticed lots more throtle response and the engine sounded much better. I was using straight thru mufflers and no tailpipes so this was not a quiet car. The next day I did another mileage test and got 35 MPG. There was lots more low end torque as well, if you just kept the car in 1st gear at 30 mph the engine was at 3500 RPM exactly where the camshaft started to make power, if you floored the gas petal the rear tires would just start spinning, no big fat tires in those days. So I got out the timing light and advanced the timing another 10 degrees to 46 degrees. Car was almost instant starting at this point, just touch the gas pedal a little and push the start button and it was running. The teacher was beside himself when I told him the results I was getting. He offered to use the schools gas testing equipment for a real controlled test, and I said yes let's do that after I am done playing with the timing to get more power. I gave him all the specs of this engine build and he just shook hi head and said "It will be very interesting to see what mileage you really get with a controlled test. Let's do it as part of the class lesson on Monday." This gave me the week end to play some more with the set up. I had just bought an Edelbrock Tarantula intake manifold and now I could put it on as see what difference that made. I had to build an spacer for the Holley carb so my modified throttle linkage would clear the manifold. at the same time I built a ver fine mesh screen that went between the spacer and the manifold to break up the gasoline even more. A couple of hours later I started the car and began to test the new set up. First a drive at low speed to test throttle response which was vastly improved. I installed a new set of spark plugs and went for a highway drive and came back and read the plugs. It showed the engine was running lean. So I upped the jetting 5 sizes in the front and 10 sizes in the rear. Did another run and read the plugs again, they were just getting brown which means you can go richer yet and/or add more timing. I did not want to go richer as I wanted to get good mileage first and the rejet for power later. So I cranked the timing until the engine would not turn over and backed it off a little. The timing was now 55 degrees locked in. Do not have to touch the gas, just touch and let go of the starting button and instant running car. Now this thing sounds way better, you can now hear the cam working at idle. This was an 'off road' camshaft from Chevrolet and it even said so on the box. All these parts I got very cheap as I was working at a GM dealership so I had access to any parts I wanted. Now it was time for a full check out now that the car felt just right. I drove it hard, slow and every where inbetween, no engine ping or over heating, one test I did was to put the transmission in first gear and hold the throttle at 7000 rpm for 1 mile and then stop, no over heating, no broken parts. Redline was 7500 so at 7000 it should 'live' longer. I also had modified the transmission so that there was no 'automatic' function, it was now set up to only upshift at 7200 rpm. On monday I filled my car after I left home and then refilled it just before I got to school. I figured out that I got 40 mpg! Wow what a hot rod this thing was, it could go 65 mph in first gear and get 40 MPG. The instructor got all the equipment ready and myself and three other students routed all the hoses inside the car, basically we ran the hoses from a hole in the firewall to a clear plastic 2 gallon gas tank that was inside the car. This was very easy to do in may car as I had an electirc fuel pump that I could turn off from inside the car. Once you were on your test road you filled the gas tank inside the car, switched off the fuel pump so that the only source of fuel was the 2 gallon tank. You drove until 1 gallon was gone at whatever mph you wanted to do the test at. We tested both at 30 mph and at 65 mph. I shifted the engine at exactly the 3500 rpm every time. Did not use the cruise control, the instructor wanted real world testing meaning the driver controls the speed. We got amazing results - averaged 45 mpg. I asked the instructor if he want to drive it and he said yes, so we unhooked the testing gear and put it in its box in the back seat. I knew why the instructor wanted to unhook the testing gear, he was going to see how much power the car had as I had told him that it was very powerfull. He drove it like a teenager and he was smiling all the way back to school where we shared the results with the class, every one wanted to see this engine. It was not fancy, just a nice set of Corvette valve covers and a chrome air cleaner. I wanted that stock look. The instructor said told the class that if I wanted to he would test the car on the chassis dyno when we got to that part of the lessons in about a week. Great more time for me to play, now that I knew that the combination was working well it was time to play with the kind of gasoline I was burning. So I went to the local speed shop and bought 10 gallons of racing gas. It was $10 a gallon, very expensive, (1980 $). Told the guy at the speed shop exactly what my engine build was and he said I needed more ignition spark. Then he showed me a MSD ignition box that I could hook up to muy distributor and get more spark, just remove the stock plate and install the MSD one that ran to the MSD control box and set my timing again. He said if I gave him $25 dollars down and paid the rest at the end of the month I could take it right now, so I did. He ssid that I should also use a different kind of a spark plug which he had in stock and that it would make a big difference in the burning of the fuel. So I left there with a nice box of goodies. went home and installed every thing except the spark plugs as I wanted to use them for the dyno test. Fast forward to next week and I went to school with a tank full of racing fuel that smelt real good and we put the car on the dyno and while the instructor was chaining down the car I was installing the new spark plugs. The entire class was there to see what kind of power I had as some of them had driven with me and were in awe of the fast throttle response while street driving at low speeds. This engine with only 4.5:1 compressino ratio and 55 degrees of timing made 425 hp at 7500 rpm and 385 lbs of torque at 6600 rpm. I did what every one told me could not be done - power and mileage at the same time. This was way before fuel injection and computers, just plain old hor rod tinkering and I feel that most of the new cars today lack that real road feel, sure they have beter brakes and a nicer ride but lack that sound of real horsepower, now days the computer controls every thing taking the fun away to those of us who has the fortune of driving real 'muscle cars'. The next summer I went and bought a showroom 396 375 hp Camaro with 4.56 final drive ratio in the same color as my other one. I put the same wheels on both cars and used the front plate on the rear of the big block car. Then I could have the best of both worlds - the 396 car was just insane from 0 - 100 and the small block car was insame from 65 mph to 120 mph, those were the days. They would probably lock you up now if you drove today like we drove back then.