Sydney – It’s a well-known fact that real-world emissions and fuel consumption tends to be far higher than what the manufacturers claim, and there are plenty of real-world tests to prove that.
Now the Australian Automobile Association (AAA) had added fuel to that fire with its own tests, which so far have shown emissions of noxious gases being up to four times the regulatory limits, while greenhouse gas emissions and fuel consumption was up to 35 percent higher than figures shown on the cars' official labels, in some cases.
In the tests, the AAA measured car fuel use and exhaust emissions in normal traffic with a portable measurement system and compared the readings to the claims made by car manufacturers, a statement said.
"These results suggest that as emissions regulations around the world become more stringent, vehicle manufacturers are producing vehicles that limit emissions in the laboratory, but not necessarily in the real world," AAA chief executive Michael Bradley said in the statement.
Thirty cars are due to be tested in the study, with the results from the first ten, unnamed, cars released on Monday in order to help inform two government reviews, AAA said.
The organisation said it had commissioned the test in the wake of the 2015 Volkswagen emissions scandal.