Experts slam Aussie fuel claims, put them to the test

Car industry experts have cast doubt on the federal government’s claims that Australian cars are 20 per cent thirstier than their US counterparts.

The assertion by Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen is based on assumptions made in the government’s impact analysis for its tough new vehicle emissions standard. “In America their cars use 20 per cent less fuel than ours do,” Mr Bowen said.

But Motor Traders Association chief executive Matt Hobbs said the government analysis compared US and Australian CO2 targets rather than actual fuel consumption.

“They are not using an ‘apples and apples’ comparison,” Mr Hobbs said.

The three top-selling vehicles in the US are petrol-powered pick-up trucks, while our top three sellers are smaller, more efficient diesel utes.

America’s favourite vehicle for the past 42 years, Ford’s F150, uses 12.2L/100km, while the volume-selling model of Australia’s most popular vehicle, the Ford Ranger, uses just 7.1L/100km.

The Australian Automobile

Association, which represents motoring clubs such as the NRMA, RACV and RACQ, said the comparison between Australia and the US did not stack up because it ignored some of America’s thirstiest pick-up trucks.

A large percentage of US pick-up trucks, including many versions of the F-Series, are not bound by the US passenger vehicle emission targets because they are simply too big.

Mr Bowen’s office declined to comment on the claims, but its calculations are based on a comparison between voluntary CO2 targets set by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries and the US EPA targets.

Experts argue that it’s impossible to do an “apples and apples” comparison because different credits are applied to each scheme and they use a different laboratory cycle for their fuel efficiency tests.

The AAA has called on the government to be more transparent about its assumptions regarding the new standards.

It urged the minister to release modelling for the standards and to address the expected introduction of a road user tax on EVs – which is expected to be $300 to $400 a year.