The EU Commission has announced its intention to continue in its efforts to achieve its Europe-wide target to reduce the emission of carbon dioxide per passenger car to 120 g/km until the year 2012. Thanks to modern motor technology, new vehicles should then be allowed to produce no more than 130 gram per kilometre (currently 163 gram on average in Germany), while savings of another ten grams should be achieved by the increased use of bio fuels as well as "other technical improvements". Among these the EU Commission also accounts, among others, the compulsory use of tire pressure monitoring systems as well as the introduction of upper limits for the tire rolling resistance with passenger cars and light-duty commercial vehicles.

"So the expressions 'rolling resistance optimization' and 'compliance with tire pressure requirements' appear in the context of greenhouse gas reduction for the first time", says Hans-Jürgen Drechsler, chairman of the Federal Association of tire Dealers and Vulcanising Trade (Bundesverband Reifenhandel und Vulkaniseur-Handwerk e.V. - BRV, Bonn), in the framework of a press release by the association. "This is certainly a reasonable approach even though we must bear in mind that every motorist can efficiently contribute to climate protection already now by regularly checking the inflation pressure of his motor vehicle and adjusting it to the respective vehicle load according to the specifications of the vehicle manufacturer as apposed on the fuel tank cap or door pillar or as contained in the instruction manual."

Such a simple measure - and that is meant to save the climate, so the rhetoric question of the association when presented. For there may be many sceptics about who are most likely to question the efficiency of this advice. Well, there is no doubt that the emission of carbon dioxide in Europe will not be stopped overnight if German motorists henceforth pay more attention to the inflation pressure of their tyres than they did, unfortunately, in the past, and the BRV knows that, too. However, true to the maxim that "many a mickle makes a muckle", such saving potential is certainly a welcome contribution to climate protection. For instance, the Dutch Ministry of Environment has found that the adjustment of the tire pressure with the approximately seven million passenger cars registered in our neighbour country alone may account for a reduction in carbon dioxide by 192.5 kilotons per year. As the BRV chairmen puts it: "Since, according to studies and surveys, in our country, too - as in all EU member states - about 50 % of all passenger cars drive with insufficient air pressure, these figures allow us to forecast that the saving potential in Germany, with about 47 million registered passenger cars, would amount to 1,292.5 kilotons or about 1.3 megatons of carbon dioxide per year!"

Simple measure, baffling effect. Those who are still not convinced may perhaps be motivated to check their tire pressure regularly no later than when learning the following announcement by the federal association of the tire trade: The correct tire pressure, as the BRV emphasizes, does not only protect the environment but your purse, as well. A low pressure of only 0.2 bar is enough to cause an increase in fuel consumption by one percent on average while at the same time reducing the life of your tire by about ten percent. Two cost-pushing effects whose negative impact, with increasing low pressure, takes dramatic proportions. This should be reason enough for motorists to regularly check their tire pressure with every petrol station stop or at least once a month. And those who - beyond their purse - think about the environment and have their motor vehicle equipped with the latest eco-friendly technology should - last, but not least - bear in mind the following advice by federation expert Drechsler: "If, by the way, the inflation pressure is not right all the positive effects of rolling resistance optimized tyres are eliminated!" (dv)

Source: NEUE ReifenZeitung 6/2007