Glossary

A test cycle for chassis dynamometer emissions testing, developed by ADAC in Germany as part of its EcoTest programme. BAB is short for Bundesautobahn (federal highway) and 130km/h is the maximum speed. Referred to by Green NCAP as the Highway test.

Battery Electric Vehicle. A vehicle which uses electricity as its only source of energy.

Carbon monoxide, a pollutant gas.

Carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas.

European legislation introduced in 2014 (for new cars, 2015 for all cars) with tighter control on vehicle emissions than previous European standards.

A level of emissions legislation applying the limit values of Euro 6 to cars tested using the NEDC.

A level of emissions legislation applying the limit values of Euro 6 to cars tested using the WLTC and RDE, with tighter control on the NO_x allowed during the RDE than used for Euro 6d-Temp.

A level of emissions legislation applying the limit values of Euro 6 to cars tested using the WLTC and RDE.

Gases which cause the atmosphere to trap heat, causing global warming.

Hydrocarbons, a collective term for a variety of pollutant gases.

Hybrid Electric Vehicle. A vehicle which uses a combination fossil fuels and electric power as its source of energy.

Internal Combustion Engine. An engine which uses fossil fuels (e.g. petrol, diesel, liquid petroleum gas (LPG), compressed natural gas (CNG) etc) as its source of energy.

Mild Hybrid Electric Vehicle. A vehicle which uses an electric motor to provide a small/modest amount of additional power and torque in addition to that provided by an internal combustion engine.

New European Drive Cycle. The laboratory test cycle used in emissions tests using a chassis dynamometer. This was the drive-cycle used to demonstrate compliance with Euro 6 emissions standards for cars approved to Euro 6b.

A collective term for oxides of nitrogen, specifically NO and NO₂.

Portable Emissions Measuring System. Equipment used to measure vehicle emissions while the car is driving. May also be used to refer to a test making use of this equipment.

An enhanced regulatory RDE test procedure used by Green NCAP to test real-world environmental performance.

Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle. A hybrid vehicle in which the battery is charged from an outside source and not using its onboard combustion engine to charge the main propulsion battery.

Particulate Mass. The mass of the particulate emitted during the emissions test.

Particulate Number. The number of particles emitted during an emissions test.

Gases and particulate matter which cause harm to health and the environment.

Real Driving Emissions. A regulatory emissions test which is conducted while the car is being driven under real-world conditions (ambient temperature, altitude, slopes).

Selective Catalyst Reduction. A technology which injects a reducing agent (typically automotive-grade urea) into the exhaust stream of diesel cars.

Worldwide-harmonised Light-duty-vehicle Test Cycle. A revised regulatory laboratory test cycle used in emissions tests using a chassis dynamometer. This is the drive-cycle used to demonstrate compliance with Euro 6 emissions standards for cars approved to Euro 6d-temp. Green NCAP performs the test several times, under different conditions. In the cold test, the car is started from cold and in the warm test, it is first warmed to its standard operating temperature. Where special driving modes are offered (eco and sport), the warm test is repeated using these modes. Where such modes are not available, the results of the warm test in standard mode is used instead.

For more details, see Test Procedures

The regulatory WLTC test custom-tailored for Green NCAP assessment.

For more details, see Test Procedures