Diesel cars emit 10 times more NOx than trucks

Modern diesel cars emit up to ten times more toxic fumes than buses and heavy trucks. An analysis by the International Council on Clean Transportation points to a huge gap in NOx emissions – the result of much more rigorous testing of heavy vehicles in the EU as compared to passenger cars. 

The ICCT, which previously revealed the malpractice at VW that blew open the Dieselgate affair, points out that NOx pollution is the cause of thousands of premature deaths per annum in the EU. Much of that pollution is produced by cars, which emit up to six times more nitrogen oxides on the road than allowed in lab tests, which still are the norm in the EU.

The ICCT claims data from Finland and from the German federal motor vehicle agency KBA show that diesel cars that conform to Euro-6, i.e. the strictest European norm, emit 500 milligram of NOx per km, versus only 210 milligram by trucks, despite the fact that trucks run on heavier engines and consume more diesel per km. If that is taken into account, passenger cars emit up to 10 times more toxic gases than buses and trucks. 

For the scientists at the ICCT, the report is a wake-up call, to urgently introduce real-world tests for diesel cars instead of lab tests only. They point to the fact that manufacturers do manage to keep emissions for heavy diesel vehicles under control. 

This is no doubt thanks to the fact that mobile testing has been mandatory for trucks and buses in the EU since 2013. 

From September, similar tests will be gradually introduced for passenger cars. However, the ICCT warns that manufacturers will be able to pick carefully selected prototypes for these tests. The organisation demands that the tests be performed on random vehicles, plucked off the assembly line – as is the case in the U.S.

The European Commission will discuss the matter in December. The ICCT claims its proposal is meeting heavy resistance from selected manufacturers and member states. 

Image: public domain