Eco-friendly claims for hybrid

From The Times

May 19, 2008

Eco-friendly claims for hybrid cars dismissed as gimmickry

Lewis Smith, Environment Reporter

Cars promoted as eco-friendly were criticised yesterday for pumping out up to 56 per cent more carbon dioxide than the manufacturers claim.

Three models, including the Honda Civic hybrid, performed so badly in tests that their environmental claims were dismissed as a gimmick.

A further five vehicles, including Volkswagens Polo BlueMotion, hailed as Britains greenest car when it was claimed that it emitted less than 100 grams of CO2 per km (g/km), failed to match the claims made by their makers.

Road tests were carried out by Auto Express magazine, which accused manufacturers of attempting to cash in on concerns about global warming.

David Johns, the magazines editor, said that demand for eco-friendly cars was rising rapidly but it could be hard for consumers to determine what was truly green or just pure gimmick .

Almost a quarter of new cars now claim a CO2 rating of less than 140g/ km. Those with a figure below 120g/ km accounted for one in 20 sales last year it is thought that there would have been more, given a better supply.

Cars with CO2 emission figures below 100g/km qualify for a free band A tax disc. Band B cars emitting up to 120g/km pay only £35 annual vehicle excise duty a year, compared with £400 for band G vehicles that emit more than 225g/km.

The Honda Civic hybrid, regarded widely as one of the lowest emitting cars, performed the worst in the tests.

Instead of the 109g/km of CO2 claimed in the makers specifications, it was found to put out 171g/km. The testers said its electric motor was not strong enough to propel the oddball four-door Civic on its own and they concluded that the vehicle failed to match the firms economy claims .

The second car labelled a gimmick was the Lexus GS450h, leased by David Cameron, the Conservative leader. It managed fuel consumption of 26.7 miles per gallon (mpg) in the road test compared with the claimed 35.8 mpg meaning higher carbon emissions. Diesel rivals were said to produce similar emissions and better economy.

Skodas Fabia Greenline was condemned because its emissions were higher than two other less bulky super-minis that use the same 1.4 litre diesel engine the Polo BlueMotion and Seats Ibiza ECOmotive.