Environmental list: The cleaners of Switzerland
FACTS COUNT The current car environmental list of the VCS shows which passenger cars cause the least damage to the environment. For the first time, diesel vehicles with the Euro 6d emissions standard, which will come into force in January 2020, are on sale. The best new models, which receive a rating of five stars, are the Toyota C-HR 2.0 VVTi Hybrid, the Mazda CX 30 2.0 180 and the [...]
The best new models, which receive a five-star rating, are the Toyota C-HR 2.0 VVTi Hybrid, the Mazda CX 30 2.0 180 and the Opel Corsa 1.5 D. The BMW 1 Series 116d and Mercedes CLA 200d are two diesel vehicles on the market with the new Euro 6d emissions standard. However, as these vehicles have high CO2 emissions, they only achieve four stars (BMW) or three stars (Mercedes) in the Auto-Umweltliste rating.
Stricter targets for new cars
A new CO2 target for new cars will apply from January 2020. The average CO2 emissions of cars sold in Switzerland must not exceed 95g CO2/km. This was so decided by voters when they approved the Energy Strategy 2050 in May 2017. However, the Federal Council has softened this target for car importers: In 2020, this target will only apply to 85 percent of new cars sold.
Numerous new electric models
The automotive industry is well prepared for this new target and will launch numerous new electric models in the coming year in order to meet the target.
There have been hardly any innovations in electric vehicles this year. Since the summer, only the Renault Zoe and the Hyundai Ioniq have been revised and now have a longer range.
Environmental damage from batteries
The environmental list for cars and vans takes into account emissions of the greenhouse gas CO2, noise, and, for vehicles with combustion engines, air pollutants. For electric vehicles, the environmental damage caused by battery production is included.
Climate heating in focus
The Auto-Environment list gives the highest weighting to the contribution to climate heating by CO2 emissions. To limit global warming to 1.5° Celsius, motorized traffic must be reduced and energy from renewable sources must be used. Today this is possible with electric or biogas vehicles.
Delivery van on the test bench
As the consumption and exhaust emission measurements for vans are currently being changed to the new WLTP cycle, there is not enough vehicle data available for the van environmental list. Therefore, the VCS is currently unable to publish an update of the online database for vans. This year's edition of the van environmental list will be postponed until spring 2020.
