90% of New Diesel Cars in Europe Emit Illegal Levels of Pollution

A new report conducted by Transport and Environment (T&E), a sustainable transport emissions group, has concluded that a mere 10% of all of the new diesel cars being produced in Europe comply with EU legislation designed to limit harmful emissions.

The revelation comes after it was found that the test conditions used to enforce the EU’s most recent emissions legislation (Euro 6) were vastly different from real-life road conditions. This discrepancy allowed manufacturers to manipulate results and produce cheaper vehicles which complied with the regulations in theory – but not in practice.

Manipulating the Results

Despite previous thinking which predicted that newer models (both petrol and diesel) were complying with Euro 6, it now seems that carmakers have been able to make use of a number of techniques to artificially improve their emissions results in testing. Among others, these include:

• The use of special lubricants and oils
• Over-inflation of tyres
• Reduction of the total weight of the vehicle
• The use of smoother roads than those which cars are exposed to in the real world

As well as distorting the emissions output of cars, these methods also help to give them a more attractive fuel efficiency on paper. The results of T&E’s study were alarming – 9 out of every 10 cars failed to comply with EU regulations, with them emitting an average of seven times the acceptable levels of pollutants. One particularly dirty model spewed out as much as 22 times the limit, while every single major car manufacturer in Europe fell afoul of the rules.

The problem does not seem to be as widespread in the United States, where testing regimes are much stricter and diesel engines (the primary offender when it comes to harmful emissions) are not nearly as widespread. In America, a mere 3% of all passenger cars contain diesel engines – in Europe, this figure is nearly at 50%.

A Need for Action in the UK

In particular, the British Isles have suffered from poor air quality for some time. Despite repeated calls for London to clean up its act, the capital remains the most contaminated place in the UK and was warned by the Supreme Court in April to address the issue, or face heavy penalties and fees.

In response, authorities in Central London have imposed a “pollution charge” for local drivers which will see them pay as much as £12.50 for driving a diesel engine in the city centre. Though the measure will not come into effect until 2020, it’s hoped that it will prove so successful that other cities will follow its example and reduce the diesel car to a thing of the past.

“We cannot choose where we breathe so we must stop cars polluting our city air. The technology to clean up vehicle exhausts is available and costs a few hundred euros,” explains the report from T&E. “It is a small price compared to the nearly €1 trillion spent annually in healthcare and lost output and productivity. Cars with engines must be stopped from polluting our air or prevented from accessing our cities.”

Whether or not such a wish will come to pass remains to be seen, but at least interest in the cleanliness of the air we breathe is on the increase.