Downsized And Supersized Engines Hit A Grade In EQUA Air Quality Index

Friday, June 17, 2016 - 15:17
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EQUA index logo

The latest additions to the EQUA Air Quality Index show that engines of all sizes are capable of hitting Euro 6 pollution targets, as Ford’s 1.0-litre Ecoboost, as well as Bentley’s 6.0-litre W12 and Rolls-Royce’s 6.6-litre V12 have received a coveted A rating for low NOx emissions.

Helping clear consumers’ confusion over real-world NOx emissions, this month’s additions to the independent EQUA Index website include new models from a wide range of manufacturers including Audi, Citroen, Jaguar, Peugeot and Volvo.

The current Ford Focus 1.0 EcoBoost 125 manual has received an EQUA Index A rating for NOX, putting it amongst the least-polluting new cars available to buy. However, when last evaluated by Emissions Analytics, an earlier version of this Euro 6 Ford rated only an E in the programme.

Producing roughly 85% less NOx when recently tested, the new rating shows that vehicle manufacturers are making noticeable improvements to engine performance as air quality issues come under closer scrutiny.

Nick Molden, CEO and founder of Emissions Analytics, said: “It’s encouraging to see that vehicle manufacturers are cleaning up engine emissions as part of a continuous development programme. Both large and small displacement engines are capable of hitting the latest targets if correctly optimised.”

Underlining the fact that emissions can be low even on the largest of engines, the new Bentley Bentayga 6.0-litre W12 and Rolls-Royce Dawn 6.6-litre V12 have also received an EQUA Index A rating. Surprisingly, the low emissions of both engines mean they produce less NOx than 100% of the Euro 6 diesel engines listed on the EQUA Index.

The 18 cars added to the EQUA Index this month were all Euro 6 models, joining more than 470 vehicles ratings that are available from www.equaindex.com. The programme will continuously add new vehicles to its database.

With ratings openly published and freely available to all, including vehicle manufacturers and consumers, the EQUA Index is an ongoing programme to provide an easy to understand sticker clearly showing each car’s performance.

Developed by Emissions Analytics, the world’s leading independent provider of real-world emissions measurement, the EQUA Index allows manufacturers to demonstrate their vehicles’ clean credentials, and provide data to policymakers on progress in the drive to improve air quality.

Intended to complement the forthcoming Real Driving Emissions regulations for new vehicle certification, the EQUA Air Quality Index will help monitor vehicle performance when driven normally on roads, and the effectiveness of the new regulations.

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