Well, duh! EU draws pretty bleak conclusions from open research

Here’s the shocking thing: you expected the European Court of Auditors not to come to a conclusion: in practice, cars… hold on to your hats… emit more CO2 than is officially reported.

Crickets… Tumbleweed… Because come on, everyone knows that. A car never reaches its specified WLTP consumption and therefore emits more CO2 per kilometer.

Since 2021, average emissions from new passenger cars in the European Union must not exceed 115 g/km CO2.

Conclusion European Union

The cars do this well in the brochure, but of course not on the road. Studies by the European Court of Auditors show that they are on average 20 percent higher.

This is because drivers drive differently in the real world than is simulated in the WLTP measurement cycle, according to the Court of Auditors. No shit, Sherlock!

The conclusion is that emissions from gasoline engines are 24 percent higher, while for diesels they are just over 18 percent.

Plug-in hybrids are the culprits

Plug-in hybrids are the biggest culprits and we’ve known that for years. Owners drive less electric than the WLTP cycle takes into account, and therefore PHEVs emit three and a half times as much dirt.

The ACA’s funny (and actually quite sad) conclusion: Business plug-in drivers cause the most emissions because they charge their car batteries the least. The boss pays for the fuel anyway.