CONFUSION over new standards for setting vehicle fuel consumption could cost companies millions of pounds a year and cause havoc with fleet choice lists. The crisis is due to the existence of two different, but 'official', methods for measuring fuel consumption.
Fleet Management Services called on all manufacturers to issue dual sets of figures, both old and the new, until the new statistics are available for every make and model. The new system of measurement is more accurate, including a cold start, acceleration, deceleration, idling, constant speed driving, and even takes into account the weight of options such as air conditioning, and how this impacts on consumption.
An EC directive has made this law for all new engine homologations since January 1996. But manufacturers are not obliged to re-calculate until January 1998. The old consumption figures were based on steady speed cycles of 56 mph, 75 mph, and a simulated urban cycle.
Where the top 10 fleet manufacturers stand:
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