Whilst it’s been law for years now that car manufacturers have to provide information about a cars fuel consumption figures and the CO2 it produces, van manufacturers have pretty much got off scott free.
Its always been claimed its difficult to arrive at fuel consumption figures for vans because they would vary so much depending on the load carried. That’s an argument that doesn’t really stack up because after all, if they really wanted to provide the information, they could have set a level playing field and tested all vans whilst they were un-laden.
However from January 2008 all manufacturers will be forced to carry out official tests on vans (in the way they do cars) to provide fuel consumption figures and CO2 emissions. The tests will be verified by the Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA).
This isn’t going to be an opt in or opt out thing, for if a manufacturer doesn’t do it, quite simply, the vehicle will lose its certificate of conformity, which will make it impossible for fleets to register the vehicle.
It also seems the legislation is not just going to apply to new models launched after January 2008, but will apply to all new vans (they currently offer for sale) irrespective of when they were originally launched.
It’s expected that some more complicated commercials such as dropsides, lutons & tippers, which are often built in stages, will not have to comply until January 2009, due to the difficulties of testing the different variations.
Vehicle manufacturers don’t seem to be overly keen on the testing which will be carried out on a rolling road using un-laden vehicles, questioning the usefulness of the figures. In all honesty, it’s a big undertaking for a manufacturer and could obviously be a major disadvantage to them (in terms of sales) if their vehicles have poor consumption or high CO2 emissions.
Fact is that these figures will be very useful to anyone buying a van. It gives the opportunity to compare one vehicle to another on a like for like direct comparison basis. OK, users will know the heavier the load they carry, that the vehicles economy will be reduced, but the testing will provide that one point where every vehicle is equal.
For sure, this testing isn’t going to be perfect, but it’s a start. There are arguments that each vehicle should have two different tests, one when its carrying no load and one when its fully laden and although we can see the value in that, if that were to happen, in theory, that should apply to cars also after all, a 7 seat MPV, could easily be carrying 700kg of passengers and luggage.
The testing requirements for cars have over the years encouraged car manufacturers to strive to produce better fuel economy than their competitors and have created pressure to make their vehicles greener and lower their CO2 emissions.
We here at Bussey Vehicle Leasing commend this initiative and feel it’s long overdue
