Towards a new dieselgate? Nineteen million diesel vehicles circulating in Europe would present “suspicious” levels of nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions, the International Council for Clean Transport (ICCT), an environmental NGO, warned on Wednesday.
The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) has recently handed down several sentences in which it considers the software installed in diesel vehicles to be illegal. This “defeat device”, revealed during Dieselgate in 2015, systematically improves the performance of the pollutant control system during type approval procedures. The NOx emission filtration system is reduced or disabled when temperatures are too low and above a certain altitude. Car manufacturers have always maintained that it was necessary to protect the engine.
3.3 million vehicles would be affected in France
Of the 53 million diesel cars sold in the EU and UK between 2009 and 2019, 24 million vehicles produced (19 million still in operation, including 3.3 million in France) had “suspicious” emissions compared to decisions of the CJEU, according to the ICCT.
Sixteen million vehicles even present emission levels classified as “extreme” (three or four times the official limit). These excessive emissions indicate “probable use” of a prohibited engine calibration strategy. The 19 million suspected vehicles, of 200 models, were sold by numerous manufacturers under Euro 5 and Euro 6 standards.
The NGOs ClientEarth, France Nature Environment (FNE) and Consumo Vivienda Marco de Vida (CLCV) announced Wednesday that they have seized the authorities of France, Germany and the United Kingdom so that builders contribute to a fund aimed at reducing pollution of the roads. transport.
To compile this report, the ICCT analyzed three sources of NOx emissions data: laboratory and field test data provided by government authorities, field test data produced by independent organizations, and an extensive database of remote sensing measurements. .
The “thermal windows”
The “Dieselgate” broke out in September 2015 and then destabilized the entire automotive sector. In this rigged engine scandal, Volkswagen admitted to tampering with 11 million cars to show lower-than-real emissions levels. Several manufacturers such as Fiat-Chrysler and PSA (now Stellantis) and Renault have since been in the crosshairs of justice.
The CJEU issued an important decision on Tuesday on a similar technique, that of “thermal windows”, which makes it possible to control the purification of exhaust gases from diesel vehicles depending on the outside temperature. Its owners can, according to her, claim damages from the builders.
Source: BFM TV
