Data, values and formulas

Clean Car Standard CO₂ value

The CCS CO₂ value will be either positive or negative. A positive value may earn a credit and a negative value may result in a charge. Credits can be used to offset charges or transferred to other importers. 

The Clean Car Standard Scheme works on a principle that each light vehicle in an account will have a calculated CO₂ value.

Just as there can be many vehicle variations that appear the same or quite similar, there may also be a wide range of CO₂ outcomes. The CCS CO₂ calculator in Fuelsaver can assist in determining CO₂ account values, and there is also a link to a reference file of recently registered vehicles with CCS values applied to indicate what values similar vehicles might attract.

This value is worked out using a formula that considers the vehicle's 3pWLTP CO₂ value, the tare weight of the vehicle, and whether it is a passenger or commercial vehicle. Using this information and reference data (set in legislation or weight data from the MVR Fleet) the calculated CO₂ value (called CO₂ difference) is derived. This is not an emission value but a value from CO₂ emissions and weight used to determine whether set targets for the year are met or not.

The CO₂ value is important but so is the ratio to the weight of the vehicle, and the annual target. If the vehicle has a low CO₂ value for its weight it is more likely to get a credit.

Calculators

There are several ways to estimate the CCS CO₂ value for a vehicle: 

• a simple calculator on the Fuelsaver website
• the Clean Car Standard Forecast tool is a spreadsheet that automatically downloads from the Ministry of Transport Te Manatū Waka website. It shows the effect of multiple units of a vehicle in different years.
• a reference file of registered vehicles with CCS values to look up similar vehicles

Fuelsaver calculator(external link)

Clean Car Standard Forecast tool(external link)

Reference file of vehicles with 2023 CCS values(external link)

Once you have the VIN or Chassis number and export documentation, you can use Fuelsaver to find the vehicle CO₂ value, assign the vehicle to your CO₂ account and see the CCS values. This feature in the CCS system is called ‘Publishing the Fuel Consumption Statement’.

Reference data

The reference data for CO₂ calculations is either set in legislation or, for weight data, it’s obtained from the MVR fleet for a reference period.

The other component is an adjustment table from the VEED regulations to standardise the tare weight of overseas values as countries calculate this differently.

If the tare weight is entered directly as provided on export documentation into Fuelsaver, the system will perform the adjustment automatically. If it is entered on the calculator the adjustment will need to be done manually.

The following table is from the VEED regulations to standardise tare Weights:

The following table provides a summary of the reference data used in calculations:

The Annual Targets are set in legislation for passenger and commercial vehicles to 2029. It’s easiest to think of the calculation for the CCS account entry in two separate steps.

Step 1 is to calculate the weight adjusted target for the vehicle by taking the annual target and determining what the target should be adjusted to for vehicles being imported.

Step 1 Weight Adjusted Target Formula

Weight Adjusted Target = Annual Fleet Target + L * (Vehicle Weight – Mean Fleet Weight)

In this formula L = a factor that represents the law of physics that heavier vehicles will have higher CO₂ values. So, a factor is included to make allowance for heavier vehicles. This is called Slope of the Line.

Step 2 Calculate the CCS CO₂ Value

This is the value that determines if the vehicle is a charge or a credit. The formula is as follows:

CO₂ Difference = Weight Adjusted Target – 3pWLTP CO₂ Value

Note the reference data for weight comes from the fleet values of vehicles that entered the fleet in that year. Type A = Passenger and Type B = Commercial.

Videos: How calculations work

We’ve produced a series of videos showing how CO₂ calculations work.

• Part 1: Terminology(external link)
• Part 2: Explanation of calculations(external link)
• Part 3: Explanation of calculations(external link)