EcoTest:
The rating procedure
The overall test result is derived from a rating of
pollutant emissions and a class-dependent CO2 rating. In addition, we
determine fuel consumption, which is provided to the consumer as an
additional
information.
Pollutant rating
The
rating of pollutant emissions (CO, HC, NOx and PM) is independent of
vehicle
class. Unlike in emissions legislation, the same criteria and emission
levels
apply to petrol, diesel, natural gas and hybrid drive-trains.
CO2 measurement
Testers
rate CO2 emissions by vehicle
class.
This allows a comparison of results within a vehicle class, which is an
important aspect since consumers tend to choose among vehicles in a
certain
vehicle class. Rating vehicles on an absolute scale would merely
indicate that
large cars will have higher CO2 emissions than small cars.
Individual scores
On
the basis of their measurement results, vehicles score a number of
points (class-dependent
for CO2). A maximum of 50 points is awarded for low pollutant
emissions. Within the rating system, results exceeding 45 points stand
for very
low emissions.
The overall rating
Based
on the scores achieved for CO2 and pollutant emissions, EcoTest
awards up to 5 stars. The testers use the following conversion from
points to
stars:
