While the range of emissions for petrol engines has shifted “on paper” by one gram to 126 to 142 grams of CO2 / km, more rapid developments can be seen in diesel cars, where growth was four percent to 113 to 128 grams of CO2 / km. This follows from the analysis of the consulting company EY.
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Although in most categories, apart from SUVs, the increase is more of a paper one, according to EY partner Petr Knap, the current offer on the market is far from the limits of carbon dioxide emissions required by the EU for car companies. The number of 95 grams per kilometer is widely inflected, which, however, is adjusted for individual car manufacturers in the order of units or at most low tens of grams per kilometer, depending on the average weight of their cars.
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Nevertheless, meeting emission limits – or paying enormous fines – is such a major obstacle for carmakers that it has become one of the main reasons for the rapid launch of expensive and limited-use battery-powered electric cars. And often it also leads to the withdrawal of some models from the market or the non – introduction of new generations, such as in the case of the Subaru BRZ.
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From next year, the method of including low-emission vehicles (up to 50 g CO2 / km) in the calculation of this average will also change. While this year one such sold car was counted twice, in 2021 it will be 1.67x and in 2022 1.33x.
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The new methodology for measuring emissions and consumption of the Worldwide Harmonized Light Vehicle Test Procedure (WLTP) was created after the Dieselgate case, which was triggered by Volkswagen’s emissions fraud in the USA. In contrast to the previous NEDC (New European Driving Cycle) method, which measured emissions only in laboratory conditions and gave carmakers considerable room for maneuver, the new method also measures values in real traffic and is considered to be closer to everyday reality.
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Nevertheless, the measured values will never correspond to the consumption with which motorists actually drive their own cars. Everyone has a different style of driving and everyone moves in a different environment – some ride almost exclusively in the lowlands, others almost exclusively in the mountains. These two factors have a major impact on fuel consumption.
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“The real comparison of the values from 2018 with this year’s figures is problematic due to the change in methodology and sounds worse, especially for cars of lower categories. Only thanks to a change in the calculation can we observe an average increase in emissions of 20 grams of CO2. If we take this into account, the resulting increase in the order of gram units, on the other hand, testifies to the great technical progress made by the car manufacturers, ”Knap said.
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Although the values of hybrids from this year are significantly lower than for cars without hybrid technology, they are still significantly higher than the EU requirements. In the event of exceeding them, the carmaker faces the obligation to pay a fine, which amounts to 95 euros (2490 crowns) for each over-limit gram and each car sold.
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Reductions in emissions are evident in plug-in hybrid vehicles, by approximately 20 percent to 33 to 40 grams. In addition to the methodology, this is mainly due to the entry of this technology into mainstream models.
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Plug-in hybrids can achieve lower power consumption, but it depends on how often their owners are willing to charge the batteries. If, on the other hand, they do not charge at all, consumption is in similar spheres as in petrol cars.
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In terms of segments, the largest CO2 emissions are emitted by the SUV category, with all available engine types. This is due to their higher weight and high body, which has greater air resistance, which the engine needs more fuel to overcome.
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Carmakers in the category of mini and small vehicles have dramatically reduced the offer of diesel engines, which generally have lower CO2 emissions, but at the cost of significantly higher emissions of real pollutants, ie nitrogen oxides, particulate matter, etc. Reducing them in the exhaust system is so expensive that small cars they are too expensive and not competitive.
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