October 14, 1998
Vehicle Assessment Standards Subcommittee, Energy Standards Sectional Meeting, Advisory Committee for Energy
Fuel Consumption Standards Subcommittee, Vehicle Sectional Meeting, Council for Transport Technology
The joint subcommittee has conducted deliberations on items which should serve as standards of judgment by vehicle manufacturers or importers (hereinafter “ manufacturers, etc.” ) regarding vehicle energy efficiency ratio (fuel consumption rate), and has compiled an interim report as given below.
1. Scope of subjects
Subjects are the vehicles indicated below, for which vehicle model has been designated under Section 1, Article 75 of the Road Transport Vehicles Act (1951 Law No. 185).
o Gasoline-fueled passenger vehicles
o Gasoline-fueled freight vehicles 2.5 tons or below in gross vehicle weight
o Diesel powered passenger vehicles
o Diesel powered freight vehicles 2.5 tons or below in gross vehicle weight
(Note) gross vehicle weight: This is the weight of a vehicle with a load as stipulated in Entry No. 4 of Section 1, Article 1 of the Safety Standards for Road Transport Vehicles.
2. Items serving as standards of judgment by manufacturers, etc.
(1) Target fiscal year
o Gasoline-fueled passenger vehicles 2010
o Gasoline-fueled freight vehicles 2.5 tons or below in gross vehicle weight 2010
o Diesel powered passenger vehicles 2005
o Diesel powered freight vehicles 2.5 tons or below in gross vehicle weight 2005
(2) Method of measuring energy efficiency ratio (fuel consumption rate)
The value, expressed in kilometers for the distance traveled per liter of fuel when the vehicle has been driven in accordance with the 10 • 15 mode method, shall be taken as the value (inspection value) measured by the Minister of Transport in the stipulation of vehicle model.
(3) Categories and target standard values
When energy efficiency ratio (fuel consumption rate), measured according to (2) by vehicle manufacturers, etc., for vehicles shipped to domestic destinations in the target fiscal year, has been added with number of shipment vehicles for each category in the following table; the harmonious averaged values obtained must not fall below the target standard values.
[Target Standard Values]
[Gasoline-fueled passenger vehicles]
Category
(vehicle weight kg)-702
703-827
828-1015
1016-1265
1266-1515
1516-1765
1766-2015
2016-2265
2266-
Target standard value (km/l)
21.2
18.8
17.9
16.0
13.0
10.5
8.9
7.8
6.4
[Gasoline-fueled freight vehicles 2.5 tons or below in gross vehicle weight]
Category
Light freight
Light-weight freight
Medium-weight freight
(vehicle weight kg)
-702
703-827
828-1015
1016-1265
1266-
-1265
1266-1515
1516-
Passenger vehicle derivative
Other
Passenger vehicle derivative
Other
Passenger vehicle derivative
Other
AT target standard value (km/l)
18.9
16.2
16.5
15.5
14.9
14.9
13.8
12.5
11.2
10.3
MT target standard value (km/l)
20.2
17.0
18.0
16.7
15.5
17.8
15.7
14.5
12.3
10.7
9.3
[Diesel powered passenger vehicles]
Category
(vehicle weight kg)-1015
1016-1265
1266-1515
1516-1765
1766-2015
2016-2265
2266-
Target standard value (km/l)
18.9
16.2
13.2
11.9
10.8
9.8
8.7
[Diesel powered freight vehicles 2.5 tons or below in gross vehicle weight]
Category
Light-weight freight
Medium-weight freight
(vehicle weight kg)
-1265
1266-1515
1516-1765
1766-
Passenger vehicle derivative
Other
AT target standard value (km/l)
15.1
14.5
12.6
12.3
10.8
9.9
MT target standard value (km/l)
17.7
17.4
14.6
14.1
12.5
(Note) Light freight ................................... Light freight vehicle
Light-weight freight ....................... Freight vehicle 1.7 tons or below in gross vehicle weight
Medium-weight freight.................. Freight vehicle over 1.7 tons and 2.5 tons or below in gross vehicle weight
<Reference>
If it is assumed that the target standard values have been established and that the percentage of shipped vehicles is the same as in 1995, the rates of improvement in consumption efficiency over the actual 1995 values are as given below.
<Gasoline-fueled vehicles>
Actual values in fiscal 1995
Estimated value for fiscal 2010.
Rate of improvement
Passenger vehicles
12.3 km/l
15.1 km/l
22.8%
Freight vehicles 2.5 tons or below in gross weight
14.4 km/l
16.3 km/l
13.2%
Total
12.6 km/l
15.3 km/l
21.4%
<Diesel powered vehicles>
Actual values in fiscal 1995
Estimated value for fiscal 2005.
Rate of improvement
Passenger vehicles
10.1 km/l
11.6 km/l
14.9%
Freight vehicles 2.5 tons or below in gross weight
13.8 km/l
14.7 km/l
6.5%
Total
10.7 km/l
12.1 km/l
13.1%
- (4) Items on display
1) The following items are indicated.
a Vehicle name and model
b Engine model and displacement
c Vehicle weight
d Transmission type and number of transmission gear position
e Fuel supply unit model
f Major fuel consumption rate improvement measures (e.g., direct in-cylinder fuel injection, lean-burn combustion)
g Energy efficiency ratio (expressed in km/l to the first decimal point)
h Name or designation of manufacturers, etc.
2) Items strictly enforced
(a) The items stipulated for display in 1) above must be recorded in the catalogs of the relevant vehicles. In this case, the items given in g of 1) shall be underlined and written in large letters of a different color so that they stand out.
(b) For vehicles put on exhibit, the items stipulated in 1) above shall be displayed clearly at a location where they can be easily seen.
3. Proposals for energy conservation
(1) Role of government
1) For the spread of vehicles outstanding in fuel consumption rate, the government shall work to provide administrative support, education and other incentives so that users can focus on fuel efficiency and that manufacturers, etc. can be encouraged to strive to improve the fuel efficiency of their products.
2) In conjunction with full-scale promotion of energy conservation, policies for tightening emission standards, based on the Air Pollution Control Law, and various other restrictions governing other tradeoffs associated with fuel consumption rate are scheduled to implement intensively in a limited term. Manufacturers, etc. are required to take active steps to comply with these measures. Therefore, in carrying out the Rationalization of Energy Consumption Act, the government shall consider the actions by manufactures, etc. to take the energy conservation efforts, and to make compliance with emission standards and other conditions. And the government shall make arrangements so that these activities can proceed in harmony with other activities taken to reach target standard values.
3) Following enactment of the law, the efforts being made by manufacturers, etc. to improve fuel consumption rate shall be reviewed as necessary.
4) Henceforth, when systems are established for similar purposes in Europe, America or others, efforts shall be made to achieve stability both domestic systems and foreign systems, and to take notice of harmonize among them.
(2) Role of manufacturers, etc.
1) Manufacturers, etc. shall strive to develop technologies for improving the efficiency of vehicle fuel consumption and to develop vehicles of outstanding efficiency in fuel consumption.
2) With the aim of spreading vehicles of outstanding efficiency in fuel consumption, manufacturers, etc. shall strive to promote understanding among users.
(3) Role of users
Users shall strive to select vehicles of outstanding fuel consumption efficiency and to use them in a proper and effective manner so that energy consumption becomes more rationalized.
(4) Other
Since April of 1996, regulations on tolerance limits in the quality of vehicle fuels have been introduced for gasoline and light oil, based on the Air Pollution Control Law and The Laws for Guaranteeing the Quality of Gasolines and etc.. In the future, research on factors affecting emissions shall continue to be promoted among concerned parties, and based on the results thus obtained, studies shall be made to determine if there is a need for still more policies on fuel quality.
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