Applus+ IDIADA welcomes Green NCAP’s comprehensive new vehicle sustainability assessment

As the automotive industry continues its transformation towards more sustainable mobility, Green NCAP's enhanced sustainability rating system represents a significant improvement in thorough vehicle environmental assessment.

The new rating framework, which incorporates complete Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) data for the first time, aligns with Applus+ IDIADA's commitment to providing realistic and holistic evaluation of vehicles across all powertrain technologies. This methodology considers the complete environmental footprint from vehicle over its lifetime –from cradle to grave– considering manufacturing, operation, and end-of-life.

An Integrated Approach to Environmental Assessment

"This comprehensive approach reflects the complexity of sustainable mobility," says Alba Garbí, Powertrain Product Manager at Applus+ IDIADA. "True environmental assessment requires examining the complete lifecycle, not just tailpipe emissions. The inclusion of factors such as vehicle production, tire and brake emissions impact, and real-world efficiency under varying conditions provides a more accurate picture."

"The transformation of the automotive industry toward sustainability goals makes evident the need for a cooperative environment where automotive manufacturers must work collaboratively with other stakeholders to overcome complex challenges. Green NCAP's holistic assessment methodology provides the transparency needed to drive meaningful improvements across the entire automotive ecosystem, enabling better collaboration between manufacturers, energy suppliers, charging infrastructure providers, and regulatory bodies to create truly clean transportation solutions," she adds.

IDIADA's global design and testing capabilities and expertise in vehicle evaluation across all powertrain types—from conventional internal combustion engines to hybrid systems and full electric powertrains—enable the company to support manufacturers in understanding and optimizing their vehicles across their entire useful life.

“The path to sustainable transportation requires a diverse portfolio of powertrain technologies, each playing strategic roles based on application-specific requirements, consumer needs, resource availability, and regional demands”, continues Alba Garbí.

A Committed Partner

Within the Green NCAP consortium, Applus+ IDIADA is actively contributing to the development of the new procedures and evaluation criteria. Our longstanding dedication to Green NCAP's mission reinforces our shared commitment to developing state-of-the-art methodologies and highlighting innovations from industry. This enhanced framework represents an important milestone toward more green transportation—one that IDIADA is proud to support through our specialized expertise in environmental testing and know-how of powertrain technology performance.

Enhanced Consumer-Focused Elements

The enhanced assessment methodology also introduces valuable consumer-focused elements with special emphasis on EV vehicles, including real-world fuel, energy consumption and driving range under various driving operation (urban, rural, highway and mixed) and cold ambient conditions, cabin comfort, and charging properties including standard and fast charging behavior and V2X functionalities (Vehicle-to-load, grid, and home). This practical approach, together with the sustainability rating, translates into actionable information for consumers making vehicle purchasing decisions and guiding them to environmentally committed choices.

As Garbí concludes, "mobility excellence requires vehicles that prioritize safety to protect and prevent accidents, are clean to safeguard both human health and our planet and deliver comfort through an exceptional driving experience.”

Applus+ IDIADA is a global partner providing automotive engineering, testing, and consultancy services, supporting the automotive industry in developing safer, more efficient, and more sustainable solutions.