Swedish car brand Volvo has launched a new App designed to help car buyers see the true environmental impact of cars.
While we’re perfectly accustomed to observing the tailpipe CO2 emissions of new cars, what many of us (and myself included!) are guilty of doing is overlooking the host of other nasties which pass through the exhaust.
Now the new App which is available for the iPhone, and produced in association with Volvo using data from the Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA), takes into account all toxic emissions including levels of carbon monoxide, oxides of nitrogen, hydrocarbons and particulates.
The Swedish car maker says the App will dispel the myth that small cars are automatically cleaner running than big ones. For example, by using the App, Volvo highlighted a V70 2.5 petrol manual estate generates 201mg/km of toxic emissions, compared with the 1.2 litre Fiat 500 Start Stop supermini, which at 425 mg/km generates more than twice as many toxic emissions as the Volvo.
Similarly, a Volvo S80 1.6D DRIVe executive saloon generates 440mg/km of non-CO2 pollutants – fewer than the 1.3-litre Vauxhall Corsa 75 PS diesel supermini (492mg/km).
The App splits toxic emissions into seven bands – Band A includes cars with toxic emissions of between 0-275mg/km, rising to Band G cars with toxic emissions of over 600mg/km. It shows that the ‘dirtiest’ car on sale generates a hefty 2080mg/km of toxic emissions, with a number of others emitting over 1000mg/km. The bottom 20 table includes a surprising mix of cars, including a 1.2 litre petrol supermini, a low emission branded small family car and a mix of family cars and people carriers.
By contrast the cleanest car in the UK is the fairly chunky Skoda Yeti 1.2 105PS which generates 49mg/km of toxic emissions, followed by the Nissan Qashqai+2 2.0 4×2 (71mg/km) and the Honda Insight 1.3 IMA S/SE (73mg/km).
Volvo itself performs generally quite well with the C70 2.4 170PS generating the lowest emissions (121mg/km – Band A) in the small sports sector, while the S40 D5 Geartronic sits in Band A of the Compact Executive Sector at 271mg/km.
Toxic emissions impact on local air quality and human health, contributing to the UK’s status of having the highest rate of childhood asthma in Europe. These toxic emissions also contribute to 50,000 premature deaths each year caused by poor air quality according to the Environmental Audit Committee.
The App is available at http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/emissions-equality/id389567557?mt=8 once iTunes is downloaded onto a PC.
The car maker is now running a new online Facebook petition to mobilise the masses to try and influence Government into mandating the information contained in the App to be available in all car dealerships. Details can be found at www.facebook.com/insidevolvouk.
“We proved earlier in the year that just because a driver is buying a small car doesn’t necessarily mean they are buying a low tailpipe emission car,” explained Volvo Car UK’s managing director Peter Rask, regional President for Volvo Car UK, Ireland and Iceland.
“Ultimately by using the information on our App, drivers can genuinely help improve local air quality,” he added.
