EU Proposes On-Road Testing For ‘Dirty’ Diesels From 2017

Life for carmakers selling diesel-powered vehicles in Europe is about to become tougher, if European Union rule-makers have their way.

Starting September 2017, a new ‘on-road’ testing regime has been proposed for vehicles with diesel engines, rather than the current laboratory test.

The test is designed to identify ‘real world’ emissions from diesel-powered vehicles, as the current lab tests have been criticised for understating the impact from diesels on air quality.

Diesels can cut CO2 emissions, thanks to their generally-better fuel consumption over petrol engines, but have been linked with an increase in NOx (nitrogen oxide) levels and smog containing ‘unburnt’ particles.

After decades of legislation guiding buyers into small diesel cars, France has now proposed a partial ban from 2020 on the industry segment it helped to create as air pollution in Paris grows evermore present.

And if drivers can’t use their diesels in Paris, they’re less likely to purchase them in other parts of France (or Europe) as well.

London has also been considering ways to tackle air pollution, and the city’s vast population of diesel-powered buses has previously been in the spotlight.

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