As far as Dyson is concerned, Volkswagen isn't the only company that should be taken to task over shady efficiency testing.
The company's just launched legal proceedings against Bosch in the
Netherlands and Siemens in Germany, claiming its competitors are
slapping misleadingly high energy efficiency ratings on their vacuum
cleaners. Siemen's Q8.0 and Bosch's GL80/In'Genius Pro Perform models
both sport AAAA ratings, based on power consumption measurements of
750W. But according to Dyson's internal tests, this figure can jump to
more than 1600W -- the maximum EU regulations allow for vacuum cleaners
-- in real-world conditions. Chugging that much electricity would
supposedly land those products in E/F rating territory, far from the
AAAA label advertised.
Apparently, this is because both
machines have sensors that send the motors into overdrive when they're
actually sucking up dust. In this way, Dyson claims Siemens and Bosch
are capitalizing on "flawed" European regulations that allow vacuum
cleaners to be tested while empty, and deceiving consumers with stellar
ratings that can only be achieved in perfect lab conditions. BSH Group,
which is responsible for both home appliance brands being targeted, is
obviously unhappy with Dyson's accusations.
"We do not understand these assertions by Dyson and we strenuously reject them.All Bosch & Siemens vacuum cleaners are measured in compliance with European energy regulations. Appliance performance at home is consistent with laboratory performance – and any suggestion to the contrary is grossly misleading."
The statement from BSH goes on to praise
its own commitment to "stringent testing," and even calls Dyson out for
not being as transparent with its energy ratings and performance
metrics. While Dyson has begun legal proceedings against Bosch and
Siemens specifically, it's all part of a broader agenda the company has
been pushing for some time. Even before the newest rating system for
vacuum cleaners was brought in last year, Dyson instigated a judicial review
with the European Court, the outcome of which is due before the end of
this year. According to the legal challenge, the rating standard fails
in two areas: it doesn't recognize real-world performance, and the
energy label doesn't take into account the environmental impact of
replacement bags and filters. James Dyson himself also argued
that German competitors had too much say in the drafting of European
regulations, allowing them to devise tests that would yield favorable
energy ratings.
It's in Dyson's interests to shape the
rating system as it sees fit, of course, giving its energy-efficient
products greater exposure. And what better time to make the grand
gesture of legal action, when efficiency ratings are a hot topic in the
aftermath of the Volkswagen emissions scandal? (Coincidentally, Bosch is
also implicated in that mess, having supplied software to VW for use in testing.) James Dyson used the uproar against VW as an opportunity to criticize
the "murky world on regulations," and this campaign against Bosch and
Siemens appears to be an extension of that. Commenting on the vacuum
cleaner situation, he said:
"Bosch has installed control electronics into some of its machines to wrongfully increase energy consumption when in use – to cheat the EU energy label. Their behaviour is akin to that seen in the Volkswagen scandal. It seems that industry is rife with manufacturers engineering to find their way around tests, rather than engineering better, more efficient technology. This behaviour is seriously misleading customers."
While there's no arguing that efficiency standards should actually mean
something, the question remains: do consumers actually look at the
energy rating of a vacuum cleaner before buying it, and do they even
care? Dyson certainly does -- especially when it's calling out
competitors to benefit its own image.
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