VECTO is the new simulation tool developed by the European Commission to determine CO2 emissions and fuel consumption from heavy-duty vehicles (HDVs). As of January 2019, the use of VECTO has been gradually extended to cover an increasing number of vehicle groups:
- heavy lorries with standard axle configurations
- medium lorries
- lorries with specific axle configurations
- buses and coaches
A variety of mission profiles for lorries, buses and coaches have been developed and incorporated into the tool. VECTO is available as a downloadable executable file designed for use on a single computer.
VECTO relies on characteristic parameters to determine the power consumption of each relevant vehicle component, including rolling resistance, air drag, masses and inertias, gearbox friction, auxiliary power, and engine performance. These input values are used to simulate CO2 emissions and fuel consumption on standardised driving cycles.
CO2 emissions and fuel consumption data determined using VECTO, together with other related parameters, must be monitored and reported to the Commission by manufacturers. The same information must also be made publicly available.