Brussels, 16/03/2009 (Agence Europe) - On Friday 13 March, the European Commission opened a new facility, VELA 7, for testing fuel consumption and emissions of lorries and buses in Ispra in the north of Italy. “Increasing trucks efficiency will significantly reduce fuel consumption,” said European Commissioner for Science and Research Janez Potoènik in a press release. Transport of freight by heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) in Europe currently stands at 1888 billion tonne-kilometres per annum. The new test facility is the seventh in a series of Vehicle Emission Laboratories (VELA). With measurements going far beyond those achievable on simple engine test stands, VELA 7 can test a whole range of alternative fuels and exhaust gas after-treatment systems in existing and future truck configurations. This Joint Research Centre (JRC) realistically simulates wind drag, tyre/road friction and full drive cycles for real-life articulated lorries of up to 40 tonnes or 12-metre long buses. The Commission says that the opening of the facility comes at a crucial time since implementation guidelines for new emission standards, in particular the Euro VI for heavy duty vehicles, must be defined by 1st April 2010 (see EUROPE 9571). (B.C./transl.rt)