News

Mounting evidence of EU emissions testing sham

Publish date: December 1, 2015

The need for an urgent replacement of the currently in use NEDC system is becoming ever more apparent. Renault’s flagship Espace minivan has now been added to the list of car makers who have manipulated emission tests in order to obtain artificially low emission data and thereby cheat their way into ‘compliance’ with EU emission standards. According to a new study by the University of Applied Sciences in Bern the Espace minivan released toxic diesel emissions 25 times over legal limits despite complying with EU tests carried out at unrealistically low engine temperatures.

A Swiss study found that when run with a warm or hot engine, a 1.6-litre Espace of the latest Euro 6 diesel generation emitted up to 2.06 grammes of NOx per kilometer, the equivalent to more than 25 times the EU limit. The vehicle successfully met the 80 mg cap mandated by EU law, only when conducted in unrealistically cold temperatures achieved via a cold engine after “specific pre-conditioning”. In a statement, Renault has, however, contested the findings of this study.

This is unacceptable. In addition to denying their own fraudulent practices, major car making companies have actively lobbied their own governments as well as the European Commission to keep the current, largely inadequate, emission testing system – the NEDC, in place. Last month, car makers succeeded in persuading the Commission to delay the introduction of more stringent emission testing rules, the ‘real driving emissions test’ by one year to 2019. Neglecting air pollution will entail dire consequences, putting an increasing number of human lives at risk while degrading our environment” reacts Jonas Helseth, Director at Bellona Europa.

In fact, a new report by the European Environment Agency published today, estimates that air pollution continues to be responsible for more than 430 000 premature deaths in Europe, making it the single largest environmental health risk on the continent.  While inaction with regards to air pollution endangers our societies and ecosystems, the car maker industry has benefited from enormous cost-savings from compliance with EU regulations amounting to roughly €7 billion.

Over the past months, the emission testing scandal has not only spread to an increasing number of car makers, but has also been found to affect CO2 emissions: the greenhouse gas which the world’s leaders gathering in Paris in the next two weeks with the aim of curbing.

Incompatibility of the conventional car industry with a future vision of a sustainable low-carbon society

Bellona will be present at the decisive UN Climate Summit throughout the two weeks and will aim to bring awareness to the importance of deploying a number of low-carbon technologies, including electric vehicles and energy storage technologies. The emission testing scandal, instigated by Volkswagen, has brought attention to an important issue, namely the limits to combustion engine efficiency improvements. We need to acknowledge the incompatibility of the conventional car industry in a sustainable low-carbon society, and start investing in the only clean and clear option for the transport sector: electrification.

For Bellona’s views on the emission testing scandal and recommendations for the future read our recent brief entitled The Emission Testing Gap: Why business-as-usual for the conventional car industry cannot continue.

More News

All news

6th meeting of the Carbon Removal Expert Group summary and feedback 

The Carbon Removal Certification Framework (CRCF) has been formally approved by the Council on the 19th of November 2024 and entered into force on the 9th of December 2024, providing an official mandate for the Commission to develop methodologies on carbon farming and carbon removals. However, the technical documents and specifications are still being drafted and revised for input from the Carbon Removals Expert Group (CREG), of which Bellona is a member. 

Photo: Christening of Northern Lights’ first CO₂ carrier in Stavanger in 2025, by Olav Øye

A great leap towards a scaled European market for CCS: Northern Lights expands storage capacity, will store CO₂ from Stockholm  

Europe’s only multi-source, injection-ready CO₂ storage site will more than triple its capacity by 2028. The decision follows an agreement with Stockholm Exergi to transport and store up to 800 – 900 kilotonnes of CO₂ per year. “This decision is years in the making, and the culmination of decades of hard work from many, Bellona included” says Bellona Europa Director Jonas Helseth.

Subscribe to our newsletter

Get our latest news

Stay informed