Engineering news
The European Council has given a green light to the adoption of its first package of rules on real driving emission (RDE) tests to measure pollutants emissions of light vehicles from the 1 January 2016.
The first package introduces the concept of RDE procedures with a portable emissions measurement system that will be connected to the vehicles tested.
The Council said: “Analysis has shown that vehicles produced in line with existing EU standards generate substantially higher emissions on the road than in the laboratory tests currently used to approve new models. That is why new procedures to measure emissions are needed.
“At this initial stage the system will be used for monitoring purposes. It will therefore not yet have any implications on the approval of new models.”
A second package on RDE tests establishes the not-to-exceed emission limits applicable and the dates for their application to new models and to new vehicles. It received the support from the majority of member states at the regulatory committee (Technical Committee for Motor Vehicles) on 28 October 2015.
Following the same procedure, the Commission will submit this second package to the Council and to the Parliament for scrutiny.
Meanwhile, in a speech delivered to UK parliament, MP Patrick McLoughlin, from the Department for Transport (DfT), welcomed the EU level action to create a comprehensive approach to emissions testing, calling it an “important milestone”. He said it would work to restore consumer confidence and deliver wider air quality and climate objectives.
However, he added that the UK government must carry out its own thorough and independent investigation into the VW emissions scandal.
McLoughlin said: “The government takes the unacceptable actions of Volkswagen Group extremely seriously. Our priority is to protect the public and I have taken a number of steps to investigate what went wrong and what we can do to stop it happening again.”
The investigation would aim to establish whether the use of defeat devices goes wider than the VW Group. While the DfT has already retested Group vehicles for which the UK provided type approval they have begun a wider testing programme to understand the real world emissions performance of a broader selection of vehicles in the UK, said McLoughlin.
This programme will test a representative selection of vehicles used on UK roads, including a sample of the newest and the UK’s top selling vehicles.
In addition, McLoughlin said he has secured agreement from his opposite number in Germany that their technical teams will work cooperatively together to reduce duplication and ensure a wide range of vehicles are tested. Officials at the DfT will continue to look for further opportunities for collaboration with other European partners.
McLoughlin said: “This investigation is vital in restoring public confidence. We will look at vehicles from across all main brands sold in the UK – manufacturers will be treated equally. We must act urgently to remedy wrongdoing but we must also ensure that the results from this investigation are viewed fairly and in the context of the completed work.”
A report will be prepared once the investigation has been completed with an update on progress expected to be delivered by the end of 2015.