More Information Less Emissions - Empowering consumers for a greener 21st century

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

BACKGROUND

Passenger cars are the single largest energy consumer and CO2 emitter of all energy-demanding technologies in the EU. Furthermore, there is a widening gap between the declared CO2 emission rates for new vehicles – determined via laboratory testing – and the actual emissions during real driving conditions. Though official figures show a decreasing trend in CO2 emission levels of new cars in the EU, in reality they have hardly decreased in recent years. The differences are even higher for NOx emissions, in particular for diesel vehicles, where average real-world emissions can be more than four times higher than those measured in the laboratory under test conditions. Consumers are thus losing trust in official fuel consumption and emission figures provided by vehicle manufacturers and public authorities, which serves to undermine EU commitments to reduce carbon emissions and compromise legislation on vehicle taxation designed to incentivise the uptake of low-carbon and fuel-efficient vehicles. Disparities also potentially slow down the pace of technological innovation necessary for the transition to a near zero emissions and low-carbon transport system.

OBJECTIVES

The goal of the MILE21-LIFE project is to enable consumers to make informed decisions regarding the purchase of low emission and low fuel-consumption vehicles. It will collect robust large-scale data for monitoring the gap between official data obtained under test conditions, provided by vehicle manufacturers, and real-world fuel consumption and emissions figures.

Specifically, the project aims to:

Develop a consumer website on new vehicle fuel consumption and emissions;

Gather existing vehicle emissions data and develop a methodology for providing a first real-world estimate and informing decisions on whether to purchase;

Develop a mechanism for harmonising vehicle emissions data;

Develop a concept for carrying out on-road measurements using on-board measurement devices;

Develop a concept for regularly storing real-world fuel consumption data in the vehicle itself;

Develop a strategy for transferring the project outputs;

Monitor the impact of the planned communication activities; and

Develop a communication tool to promote the MILE21 platform.

The project contributes to the implementation of EU emission reduction commitments under UNFCCC Kyoto Protocol, the directive on the promotion of clean and energy efficient road transport vehicles, and the EU regulation that sets emission performance standards for new passenger cars and for new light commercial vehicles.

Expected results:

A consumer website available in English, German and French that allows comparisons between vehicles to be made in terms of fuel consumption and CO2 emissions, as well as NOx and PM emissions (The information provided will also help greening public procurement);

A database of official key vehicle model characteristics, WLTP fuel consumption and CO2 emissions, real-world air pollutant emission levels [NOx and PM], of models currently available on the market, along with previousmodels;

A framework for the self-reporting of real-world fuel consumption and CO2 emissions;

A model for harmonising vehicle emission data; and

A mechanism for retrieving the data stored within the vehicle through the application of data loggers/OBD scanners and updating real-world fuel consumption information on the website.