In the wake of recent diesel emissions controversies, a new report by the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) shows that the average amount of nitrogen oxides (NOx) present in exhaust emissions from modern diesel passenger cars is more than double the levels from modern trucks and buses.
However, the ICCT said the difference is attributable in large part to the way light-duty and heavy-duty vehicle emissions are regulated, and the contrasting performance highlights the importance of an upcoming decision on strengthening the real-driving emissions (RDE) test for passenger cars in the EU.
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The ICCT paper shows data for 24 Euro 6 buses and trucks, some tested on a chassis dynamometer by the Technical Research Centre of Finland and others tested on-road using portable emissions testing equipment by the German type-approval agency KBA.
On average, NOx emissions of the heavy-duty vehicles tested were approximately 210 mg/km. Currently, NOx emissions of Euro 6 diesel passenger cars under real-world driving conditions are approximately 500 mg/km.
The European Commission plans to bring forward for discussion a package of possible revisions to the existing RDE regulation.
More diesel vehicles are sold in Europe than in China, India, and all of the Americas combined – over 8.8m in 2014 alone, more than double the sales in the next largest diesel market, China. The majority of the diesels sold in Europe, as in the global market, are passenger cars; approximately five diesel passenger cars were sold worldwide for every heavy-duty vehicle.
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By GlobalDataThe months since the Volkswagen emissions scandal broke in September 2015 have seen a heated public debate concerning exhaust emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOX) from diesel cars in Europe. The crux of that debate is that under normal operation many of these vehicles far exceed the limits imposed by regulation and certified by official type approval tests, which all vehicle models must pass as a condition of being offered for sale in the European Union.
There has been little comparable discussion of NOX emissions from diesel trucks. The most likely explanation for this different treatment is that data from in-use testing indicates that, in contrast to Euro 6 cars, Euro VI trucks do not systematically emit significantly more NOX in real-world, everyday operation than they are certified to. And there is a likely explanation for that as well: emissions from diesel cars and trucks are regulated differently under the Euro standards.
A briefing paper from the ICCT identifies key differences in the regulations governing certification of NOX emissions from diesel cars (Euro 6) and trucks (Euro VI) that help explain differences in their real-world emissions performance. Ultimately, an examination of the heavy-duty vehicle regulation reveals insights that could be used to improve the light-duty vehicle regulation.
