Downsized and supersized engines hit A grade in EQUA Air Quality Index
17 June 2016 – The latest additions to the EQUA Air Quality Index show that engines of all sizes are capable of hitting Euro 6 pollution targets, as Ford’s 1.0-litre Ecoboost, as well as Bentley’s 6.0-litre W12 and Rolls-Royce’s 6.6-litre V12 have received a coveted A rating for low NOx emissions.
Helping clear consumers’ confusion over real-world NOx emissions, this month’s additions to the independent EQUA Index website include new models from a wide range of manufacturers including Audi, Citroen, Jaguar, Peugeot and Volvo.
The current Ford Focus 1.0 EcoBoost 125 manual has received an EQUA Index A rating for NOx, putting it amongst the least-polluting new cars available to buy. However, when last evaluated by Emissions Analytics, an earlier version of this Euro 6 Ford rated only an E in the programme.
Producing roughly 85% less NOx when recently tested, the new rating shows that vehicle manufacturers are making noticeable improvements to engine performance as air quality issues come under closer scrutiny.
Nick Molden, CEO and founder of Emissions Analytics, said: “It’s encouraging to see that vehicle manufacturers are cleaning up engine emissions as part of a continuous development programme. Both large and small displacement engines are capable of hitting the latest targets if correctly optimised.”
Underlining the fact that emissions can be low even on the largest of engines, the new Bentley Bentayga 6.0-litre W12 and Rolls-Royce Dawn 6.6-litre V12 have also received an EQUA Index A rating. Surprisingly, the low emissions of both engines mean they produce less NOx than 100% of the Euro 6 diesel engines listed on the EQUA Index.
The 18 cars added to the EQUA Index this month were all Euro 6 models, joining more than 470 vehicles ratings that are available from www.equaindex.com. The programme will continuously add new vehicles to its database.
With ratings openly published and freely available to all, including vehicle manufacturers and consumers, the EQUA Index is an ongoing programme to provide an easy to understand sticker clearly showing each car’s performance.
Developed by Emissions Analytics, the world’s leading independent provider of real-world emissions measurement, the EQUA Index allows manufacturers to demonstrate their vehicles’ clean credentials, and provide data to policymakers on progress in the drive to improve air quality.
Intended to complement the forthcoming Real Driving Emissions regulations for new vehicle certification, the EQUA Air Quality Index will help monitor vehicle performance when driven normally on roads, and the effectiveness of the new regulations.
Notes to Editors
All available EQUA Air Quality index data is available from the programme’s website www.equaindex.com including the cars mentioned above.
Nick Molden, CEO and founder of Emissions Analytics, is available for interview and comment on the issues relating to real-world fuel economy data and vehicle emissions.
About the EQUA Air Quality Index
The EQUA Air Quality Index for the European Union is designed to evaluate the performance of individual passenger cars in terms of tailpipe nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions under real-world driving conditions. The programme will assess cars using objective performance criteria, recognising the best performers in emission levels through the ratings awarded.
The ongoing programme will be separate from, and independent of, vehicle manufacturers’ certification tests. The results will be publicly available, with the aim of influencing policy development and implementation, allowing consumers to make informed purchase decisions and demonstrating the improvements that vehicle manufacturers are making to bring about improvements in air quality.
Developed by Emissions Analytics, the world’s leading independent provider of real-world emissions measurement, the EQUA Index allows manufacturers to demonstrate their vehicles’ clean credentials, and provide data to policymakers on progress in the drive to improve air quality.
The EQUA Index is owned, funded and operated by Emissions Analytics, which retains all rights associated with the results and ratings.
A technical reference document on the methodology is available on request.
About Emissions Analytics
Emissions Analytics is a specialist in real-world, on-road vehicle emissions measurement and analysis, covering the European Union and the United States.
Its capabilities cover the measurement of regulated pollutants, including CO, CO2, NO, NO2, NOx, total hydrocarbons and particulate matter, using officially certified Portable Emissions Measurement Systems (PEMS).
Operating since 2011, it has carried out PEMS tests on more than 1200 model variants of passenger car in addition to testing heavy goods vehicles, tractors, taxis, vans and buses. It is the unrivalled expert in the field of on-road emissions monitoring.
Its bespoke services include benchmark tests, product evaluation and real-world running costs and it offers subscription access to its database of test results, as well as confidential testing services for product development and evaluation.
As experts in vehicle emissions and fuel consumption, Emissions Analytics supports a range of commercial and publicly funded organisations. It is currently in partnership with Imperial College, London, studying urban emissions for transport planning and policy.
Emissions Analytics is willing to provide journalists with sample data for specific vehicles upon request.
For more information, please contact:
Alex Michaelides (Torque): 020 7952 1078, amichaelides@torqueagencygroup.com
