The FIA Foundation’s emissions assessment programme, EcoTest, was one of the subjects under discussion at the 3rd International Environmentally Friendly Vehicles Conference, held as part of the German G8 Presidency in Dresden on 19th and 20th November.
The EcoTest programme was presented in a speech by Franco Lucchesi, President of the Automobile Club of Italy, during a session on the role of the consumer, government and industry in promoting environmentally friendly vehicles. EcoTest independently assesses and rates popular European cars for their toxic and CO2 emissions using a more realistic and tougher driving test cycle than that required by EU legislation (see www.ecotest.eu ). Other speakers in the session included Dr Reinhard Schulte- Braucks, Head of the Automotive Industry Unit at the European Commission, Kenneth Feith, Senior Scientist with the US Environmental Protection Agency and Dr Richard Bradley, Head of Energy Efficiency and Environment with the International Energy Agency (IEA). The Conference was opened by the German Transport Minister, Wolfgang Tiefensee. The FIA Foundation’s Environment Director, Sheila Watson, and Technical Director, Frank van West, also participated in the high-level event.