Global Industry, Local Standards - A Comparison of Test Cycles and Fuel Consumption Standards

Virtually all developed countries regulate light-duty vehicle emissions and fuel consumption. Those regulations rely on different procedures and driving cycles in testing to different standards in different countries. As a result, it is often very difficult to compare the standards imposed by different countries. This paper utilizes publicly available data to compare the energy requirements of the chassis dynamometer driving cycles in common use throughout the world. It also examines the relative severity of the currently existing light duty vehicle CO₂ standards, some of which are mass-based with a targeted fleet average, and some of which are individual vehicle targets based on footprint.