ASA/BMW : Pedantry gone mad ?

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Howard Lewis spotted this ‘incident’ and I found the actual decision here:

https://www.asa.org.uk/rulings/bmw–uk–ltd-a23-1209400-bmw–uk–ltd.html

… The situation seems more ludicrous every time I look at it.

[correct me if I am wrong, please] It appears that ASA prosecuted this on its own initiative rather than responding to complaint[s]

BMW responded with appropriate piety, and the matter is pretty-much closed.

I found the ‘involvement’ of the Google advertising-machine most intriguing.

But the real point of this Post, is to ask how others feel about the underlying logic of the ASA’s objection:

 

Action
The ad must not appear again in its current form. We told BMW (UK) Ltd to ensure that ads referring to “zero emissions”; made clear that the claim related to an electric vehicle only when it was being driven.

… aside from anything else, I’m reasonably confident that the BMW [and other] electric vehicles also emit zero when they are not being driven.

Maybe we need a dictionary definition of “zero emissions” before we all lose the plot.

MichaelG.

[DiogenesParticipant @diogenes]

Use of the term ‘Zero Emissions’ might been seen to imply that operation of the car results in no harmful emissions being produced through that use. That is patently not true.

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

It must be true … the ASA has effectively said as much 🙂 🙂

MichaelG.

[Robert Atkinson 2Participant @robertatkinson2]

They are not zero emission when being driven either. They still produce brake dust and rubber particles. Rather less brake dust and more tyre dust than a similar ICE vehicle due to dynamic braking.

Robert.
Plug-in hybrid EV owner.

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

I know Robert … hence the double smiley

It’s the ASA that I was having a dig at

MichaelG.

[Martin ConnellyParticipant @martinconnelly55370]

Road noise is also pollution that in sufficient quantities could be considered harmful. The majority of noise from any modern vehicle travelling at low speeds seems to be road noise, it is hard to hear the engine noise from a modern ICE car travelling at a steady 20mph so you cannot tell an ICE from and EV just from the noise.

Martin C

[VicParticipant @vic]

BEV’s can obviously be emission free if charged from wind or solar. A well known personality largely charges the two BEV’s in his household from his solar panels or power wall storage batteries.

Ice cars can also produce emissions when not driven. Many Diesel drivers seem to sit in their cars with the engine idling sitting in a car park – why do they do this? I’m guessing it’s to vent their spleen after realising it’s an offence?

 

[Another JohnSParticipant @anotherjohns]

Martin;

You are absolutely right about noise, and about the noise from any form of cars.

On YouTube, NotJustBikes has a video about it with some measurements he did on roads in NL.

https://youtu.be/CTV-wwszGw8

The link here should start the YouTube entry on “Cities Aren’t Loud: Cars Are Loud” on his channel.

Thanks for mentioning car noise – JohnS.

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