Understanding the New European Driving Cycle (NEDC) and Its Limitations

NEDC stands for New European Driving Cycle. It is a standardized driving cycle used to measure the fuel consumption and emissions of vehicles in Europe. The NEDC was introduced in 1980 by the European Commission as a replacement for the earlier Urban Dynamometer Drive Schedule (UDDS) and the Extra Urban Dynamometer Drive Schedule (EUDSS).
The NEDC is designed to represent a typical driving pattern in Europe, with a mix of urban and extra-urban driving. The cycle consists of four phases:

1. Low speed urban driving (up to 30 km/h)
2. Medium speed urban driving (30-60 km/h)
3. High speed urban driving (60-120 km/h)
4. Extra-urban driving (over 120 km/h)

The NEDC is used to measure the fuel consumption and emissions of vehicles under controlled laboratory conditions. The results are then used to calculate the vehicle's fuel consumption and emissions in real-world driving conditions, taking into account factors such as driving style, traffic conditions, and weather.

However, it has been criticized for not accurately reflecting real-world driving conditions, and there have been calls for a new test cycle that better represents modern driving patterns. In 2017, the European Commission introduced the Worldwide Harmonized Light Vehicle Test Procedure (WLTP), which is designed to be more representative of real-world driving conditions than the NEDC.