2017: EU wants fuel consumption measurement in cars from 2020For the insider, it is a defense against large-scale fraud; for the uninformed citizen, it is the total surveillance state. Background information on the planned consumption measurement.
NEDC stands for New European Driving Cycle and is the measurement standard for passenger cars currently valid in the EU. The Opel Ampera, Dacia Lodgy and BMW 7 Series Plug-in Hybrid are compared.
At the time when the Opel Ampera was designed, there was the dream of a plug-in hybrid, 100 km electric range, the rest with the combustion engine, 80% electric 20% gasoline. The Opel Ampera came quite close to this dream. About 70% electric, 30% gasoline.
The Opel Ampera represents the well-informed plug-in hybrid buyer, the car was bought to suit the driving profile. For decades, every car magazine has been asking the question of gasoline or diesel. This usually boils down to up to so many kilometers per year gasoline, from so many kilometers per year diesel. With plug-in hybrids, however, it also depends on the distribution of distances. For example, 2 drivers with 30,000 km per year each can have completely different results. Driver A is a long-distance commuter. Charge at home, 50 km to the company, charge at the company, 50 km home. That's 100% electric. The petrol engine is only used for long weekend trips and vacations. This is the ideal plug-in hybrid customer. Driver B is a trade journalist. Geneva Motor Show, Hanover Industrial Fair, IAA Frankfurt, Forum New Energy World Berlin. If only the first 80 km from Salzburg to Hanover are driven on electricity, then it is 10% electricity, 90% gasoline. The most unfavorable plug-in hybrid customer imaginable. With an Opel Ampera, I would probably have come up with 30% electricity, 70% gasoline. But even with the Opel Ampera, we see that the standard consumption formula for plug-in hybrids is very manipulative: 72% between standard and practice.
In 2015, I experienced a total refusal of advice at the IAA Frankfurt. "The fuel consumption is on the sign". This is how the BMW 7 Series Plug-in Hybrid was also sold, and I suspect even mainly to the most unfavorable plug-in hybrid customers imaginable: Business people who constantly drive long distances. The values on Spritmonitor.de suggest 30% electricity, 70% gasoline. 301% deviation between standard and practice is absolutely record-breaking.
If BMW had only sold the 7 Series Plug-in Hybrid to medium-distance commuters after extensive consultations and determining the driving profile - the electric range is too short for long-distance commuters - Spritmonitor.de would probably only show 4 to 5 liters instead of 8.82 liters. You could now come up with incredibly complicated regulations for standard consumption. So complicated, in fact, that a consumption meter in every car is a very simple solution by comparison. This also takes into account the different driving behavior of customers. Someone who buys a Dacia will be closer to the NEDC in their driving behavior than someone who buys a 300 hp car from BMW because of the slogan "driving pleasure".
With the current standard consumption procedure, plug-in hybrids can comply with the fleet standards specified by the EU on paper at any time. An attempt to fend off this new standard must therefore be seen as aiding and abetting fraud. The German government in particular must be urgently warned against such aiding and abetting fraud. |
