According to a testing company called Emissions Analytics,
many diesel vehicles on the road in the European Union are emitting much
more nitrogen oxide (NOx) than expected at temperatures
below 18 degrees Celsius (approximately 64 degrees Fahrenheit). While
it’s public knowledge that automakers in the EU are allowed to kill the
emissions control systems on their diesel vehicles in cold weather to
prevent damage to the engine, it seems that “cold” has not been properly
defined, and car engineers are taking advantage of that fact.
According to the BBC,
Emissions Analytics tested 213 cars from 31 manufacturers and
found that “millions of vehicles could be driving around much of the
time with their pollution controls partly turned off.” Apparently, cars
that adhere to the
Euro 5 emissions control standard
(which was announced in September 2009 but became mandatory in January
2011) are among the worst offenders. The more current Euro 6 cars did
better on Emissions Analytics’ tests but also showed discrepancies at
relatively warm temperatures.
While turning off the emissions control system can have
benefits for the longevity of a diesel engine, it also can improve the
car’s miles-per-gallon rating. That creates a tension between
priorities—a car might release more NOx but get better gas mileage, cutting down on carbon dioxide (CO2) emitted. But NOx
is a potent greenhouse gas, too, and auto manufacturers might be
motivated to hide how their cars cause pollution by favoring a high mpg
number while the car is still belching toxic NOx in order to market their cars to environmentally conscious customers.
In speaking to the BBC about how common it is for automakers
to turn off their cars’ emissions control systems at warmer
temperatures, Emissions Analytics CEO Nick Molden said, "I would say
from the Euro 5 generation of cars, it's very widespread, from our data.
Below that 18°[Celsius], many have higher emissions... the suspicion
is, to give the car better fuel economy.”
This loophole
has been known for some time, and in the wake of Volkswagen’s emissions cheating scandal, more scrutiny has been placed on auto manufacturers.
Volkswagen’s case so far seems to be unique
in that its software turned the emissions control system on during lab
tests of the car and off during normal road driving, essentially
cheating on tests mandated by the US and EU. Other auto manufacturers
have just used the gray area in EU emissions rules to their advantage
without necessarily cheating.
The New York Times reported last week
that European regulators were finding more and more instances of car
makers turning off their emissions control system during special
circumstances, like in cold weather or in high altitude, but Emissions
Analytics’ analysis gives a broader look at how flagrantly vehicle
manufacturers are skirting regulations. The research group found that
among Euro 5 vehicles, the average car emitted 3.6 times Europe’s legal
limit for NO
x in temperatures above 64 degrees Fahrenheit, increasing to 4.6 times above the legal limit for NO
x below that temperature threshold.
Among cars that were built under the more stringent Euro 6 standard, NOx
emissions were 2.9 times above Europe’s legal limit when the
temperature was above 64 degrees Fahrenheit and 4.2 times the limit
below 64 degrees Fahrenheit. The 4.2 figure includes “three especially
bad performers,” which Emissions Analytics refused to name to the BBC.
Ars has contacted the research company, but it has not responded.
So far, a German study has found a Jeep Cherokee sold by
Fiat Chrysler that turns off emissions controls in temperatures above 68
degrees Fahrenheit, and GM’s Opel Zafira has been accused of exploiting
loopholes in regulations similarly. According to the BBC, Suzuki has
said it will be changing the software on 3,200 cars in the UK, and
Mercedes has also said it will provide an update to 26,000 cars in the
UK that will lower NOx emissions. “Renault is offering anyone
with a car bought from September last year to July this year a software
upgrade that will double the temperature range of the emissions
system,” the BBC reports.
The BBC added that new regulations in the EU will begin
tightening emissions rules in 2017, but that change may happen slowly
and will only apply to new cars. Until then, polluting older vehicles
will remain on the road.
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