Green NCAP reveals the first results under tougher rating scheme

Green NCAP, an independent initiative that rates electrified vehicles, has recently updated its rating scheme. According to the organization, they have adjusted their test protocols and rating scheme to better suit the rapidly evolving technology and sustainability trends as today’s powertrain technologies improve with the car market moving rapidly towards electrification.

“Until today our assessments covered tank-to-wheel evaluation only. Cars obtained a star rating based on their emissions and efficiency performance from charging point or fuel pump to performance they delivered on the road. Green NCAP’s new rating covers a Well-to-Wheel+ greenhouse gas assessment, signifying a much broader approach,” said Green NCAP Technical Manager Aleksandar Damyanov.

In Green NCAP’s first batch of results under the stricter rating scheme, the only vehicle to qualify was the Audi Q4 e-tron.

The large SUV, per Green NCAP, scored well in all three parts of the assessment — Clean Air, Energy Efficiency, and Greenhouse Gases — as it is a fully electric vehicle with zero emissions at the tailpipe and a high-efficiency powertrain, assumed to be charged with the average European electricity mix as forecasted for the next 16 years.

The only time the Audi Q4 e-tron lost points was during the cold ambient and highway tests.

Following the all-electric Sportback from the Four-Ringed brand are the Volkswagen Caddy 1.5 l TSI, the Renault Kangoo TCe 130, and the 48V-mild-hybrid Hyundai Bayon.

While all of the aforementioned vehicles got a respectable 2.5-star rating, Green NCAP said that the VW Caddy could have scored better in the Clean Air Index if the ammonia emissions were controlled better. The Renault Kangoo, on the other hand, controls all pollutants well but loses points due to its higher energy consumption and related greenhouse gas output. As for the Hyundai Bayon, it nearly missed the 2.5-star mark as, despite its Gasoline Particulate Filters (GPF), it produced particles that are close to exceeding the limits.

Green NCAP said that the Peugeot 308 1.2 l PureTech’s three-cylinder power unit gets in trouble under constant high load where it emits very high amounts of CO. Nevertheless, the vehicle scored moderately well in the Energy Efficiency and Greenhouse Gas Indexes, leading to an overall rating of two stars.

Lastly, Genesis’ GV70 SUV failed to achieve favorable scores due to its significant fuel demand, while at the same time it also failed to impress with adequate pollutants control, which eventually left it with just one green star.

“The new Well-to-Wheel+ rating of greenhouse gases gives a much more realistic assessment of the real environmental impact of cars, whether they are combustion-engined, electric or some combination of the two. With the new approach, we hope to encourage the understanding that not only delivering a clean end product is important, but the whole process should be made greener and transparent,” explained Damyanov.

“Going further, also vehicle and battery production must find its way into the rating system, however, at the moment even the best analyses are not accurate enough to allow us to do this. We are, however, working towards a holistic life-cycle-based methodology and recently introduced a full life cycle assessment for consumer information purposes only,” he added.

Photos from Green NCAP

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