The symposium entitled, "One Year Car Label (Ein Jahr Pkw-Label)" was hosted by the German Engery Agency (Deutsche Energie-Agentur, dena) on 26 November 2012 in Berlin in order to present an initial assessment of the new German car label (Pkw-EnVKV). Ecologic Institute's Max Grünig presented "The Car Label from a European Perspective (Das Pkw-Label aus europäischer Sicht)".
The amended German car labeling regulation (Pkw-EnVKV) entered into force on 1 December 2011. The regulation requires car manufacturers, dealers and leasing companies to provide information about the CO2 efficiency class and cost of fuel for any new car for sale or on display. Almost a year later, the dena hosted a symposium in Berlin in order to conduct an initial assessment of the introduction of the revised German car label. Speakers presented research regarding the implementation, awareness and mechanism of the new German car label.
Max Grünig, Senior Fellow at the Ecologic Institute gave an overview of selected European car labels in comparison to the German label. The presentation showed the various approaches to car labeling used in selected countries and provided practical recommendations for the future development of the German car label. Identified key aspects include:
- Displaying running costs as a financial incentive for consumers
- Providing CO2 information in a clear format based on consumer research
- Using a simple colour scheme
The symposium was moderated by Olaf Krieger (Deutsche Welle) and concluded with a podium discussion by Andreas Jung (Director, dena), Thomas Burkhardt (Vice President for Technology, ADAC), and Dr. Kay Lindemann (Director German Association of the Automotive Industry, VDA).
During this event, participants discussed the impact of the introduction of the new German car label and how it can be improved in terms of effectiveness, implementation and awareness.