NGO demands illegal dirty diesels be taken off the road after French probe
The call by the French commission investigating Dieselgate to strengthen the systems for approving cars has been welcomed by Transport & Environment, but the organisation said this will only have an effect on new models many years from now. We have an air pollution crisis killing hundreds of thousands of people each year in Europe’s cities and we need action today, the sustainable transport group said.
Interested in this kind of news?
Receive them directly in your inbox. Delivered once a week.
The legality of many of the cars that have been tested is highly questionable. At normal temperatures these cars are producing huge amounts of nitrogen oxides because the exhaust systems designed to control the pollution are being switched off when they should operate under “normal driving conditions”. Authorities in France, Germany, Italy and the UK must rigorously enforce the law and insist manufacturers recall and repair vehicles with excessive emissions.
Greg Archer, clean vehicles director at Transport and Environment, said: “The results released today by the Royal Commission show the majority of diesel cars are illegally producing sky-high levels of pollution when they are not in hot laboratories. Some of the test results for individual models are shocking including the Fiat 500x, Renault Talisman, Alfa Romeo Giulietta, BMW 116, Ford C-max, Opel Zafira and many others.”
Greg Archer concluded: “Citizens’ health is too important for governments to cover up for carmakers which are blatantly flouting the law.”
Related Articles
View All
What is the situation with residual values in Europe?
Understanding how Residual Values have evolved and what has driven the change over the last years
Second-hand EVs retain their value better than industry claims, study
Depreciation estimates impact leasing and financing deals, leaving EVs often overpriced. Accurate estimates should make leasing companies, carmakers a...
Unlock public EV charging price transparency and competition
T&E position on the revision of the Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation for Light Duty Vehicles