European Union Enacts Stricter Emissions Tests
In the wake of the Volkswagen diesel cheating scandal and rising air pollution in major cities, the European Union has decided to adopt some more strenuous testing to monitor vehicle emissions.
This is also after critics of government testing have been saying that previous testing was not strict enough on car manufacturers, who could cut corners and cheat the system in a number of ways, including using so-called “golden vehicles” that are equipped to do well on tests. As a result, according to the BBC, emissions during driving can currently exceed the technical limit by up to 400%.
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The new testing rules, which will take effect for new car models sold after September 1, 2017, will undergo “Real Driving Emissions” tests, intended to better reflect actual driving conditions. Strangely, cars tested will still be allowed to exceed nitrogen oxide emission levels by up to twice the technical legal limit, but the EU is still somewhat ahead of the game.
“The EU is the first and only region in the world to mandate these robust testing methods,” EU Commissioner Elzbieta Bienkowska said.
Some, though, like Gerben-Jan Gerbrandy, European Parliament member for the liberal ALDE group, think that this is still not strict enough.
“Allowing car manufacturers to completely disregard car standards for another five years is terrible news for our environment and for consumer trust in European car brands,” he told the AP.
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News Source: BBC
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