Environmental rating for passenger cars : methodology options and applications in environmental policy.

A solid policy for the promotion of clean vehicles should be built on a clear definition of a clean vehicle, developed in a vehicle rating scheme. A vehicle rating scheme can be used in different applications for policy measures on clean transport. Several methodologies have been developed in various countries and are implemented in policy measures on transport and the environment. The research presented in this paper includes a comparison of these rating methodologies for passenger cars and their possible applications. The trade off between the complexity of the different environmental impacts of vehicle use and the simplification of this complexity in a rating scheme is addressed. A proposal for a rating methodology developed in a European framework, with input from various stakeholders, is presented. For the covering abstract see ITRD E120462.