Vans could be greener and cheaper

New vans could be up to 16% more fuel efficient and 10% cheaper simply by using the smaller engines that were commonplace ten years ago.

A study commissioned on behalf of Transport & Environment, the sustainable transport campaigners, showed that ‘optimal engine sizing’ can cut total cost of ownership by up to 12% and can be introduced quickly to existing models.

The European Parliament’s Transport and Industry committees are to vote this week on new fuel efficiency/CO2 standards.

A spokesperson for the Environmental Transport Association (ETA) said: “It’s common for people to associate environmental measures with a large price tag, but reducing engine power would make vans much more fuel efficient and cheaper to buy.”

It is estimated that a 175 g/km target for vans proposed for 2016 by the Commission could be met using optimal engine sizing alone.