Skip to main content

FIA calls for swift implementation of real driving emissions

Now that the European Parliament voted to approve legislation to measure real driving emissions (RDE), FIA Region 1 has called for swift implementation and strengthened targets to restore consumer and decision-maker trust. RDE seeks to complement laboratory tests and check whether announced NOx emissions levels are confirmed in real driving conditions. However, the package includes a conformity factor of 2.1 whereby on-road vehicles would be allowed to emit more than twice the official limit from 2017 to
February 4, 2016 Read time: 2 mins
Now that the European Parliament voted to approve legislation to measure real driving emissions (RDE), FIA Region 1 has called for swift implementation and strengthened targets to restore consumer and decision-maker trust.

RDE seeks to complement laboratory tests and check whether announced NOx emissions levels are confirmed in real driving conditions. However, the package includes a conformity factor of 2.1 whereby on-road vehicles would be allowed to emit more than twice the official limit from 2017 to 2019. By 2020, all new models would be permitted to emit 50 per cent more NOx than legal limits.

The Commission has committed to reviewing the conformity factor which will be brought to 1 as soon as possible and at the latest in 2023. This complementary approach is still the first of its kind and is much needed, in the wake of the diesel scandal. Consumers are now painfully aware of the deficiencies of the current testing regime.

FIA Region I director general, Jacob Bangsgaard, said the real driving emission package will equip Europe with a framework to assess in-use vehicle emissions, giving motorists the opportunity to get better information. “We cautiously welcome the current package, as a first step to be refined with stricter conformity targets in the course of implementation,” he said. “This decision allows for a start to testing in-use emissions sooner rather than later. It is our hope that this legislation will trigger innovation to make sure consumers get efficient vehicles for their daily mobility needs.”

Related Content

  • October 16, 2017
    MEPs demand mandatory installation of vehicle safety technologies
    Life-saving vehicle technology such as emergency braking should be made mandatory for new cars, according to an own-initiative report from the European Parliament's Transport Committee. With the report, MEPs have made a statement in support of road safety and FIA Region I (FRI) has welcomed the decision and has urged the European Commission to legislate the installation of the technology into cars.
  • February 3, 2012
    Commercial vehicle cross-border enforcement needs muscle
    A look at the current status of cross-border enforcement of commercial vehicle operation in the European Union and a look at what still needs to happen to realise a coherent working system
  • December 6, 2017
    Mexico City seeks solutions to improve air quality
    David Crawford ponders prospects for one of the world’s most congested and polluted cities. In 1992, the United Nations named Mexico City as the world’s most polluted urban centre. In the first half of 2016, following the updating of pollution alert limits to meet international standards, Mexico recorded 115 days where ozone concentrations exceeded the acute exposure health limit.
  • May 18, 2012
    EU transport committee votes for cross-border enforcement of traffic offences
    Motorists who speed, ignore red lights or drink and drive when in a European country other than their own will be brought to book more easily, thanks to closer cooperation between European police forces and EU-wide enforcement of traffic rules, under plans approved yesterday by the European Parliament's transport committee. However, the UK and Ireland decided not to opt in to the system, while Denmark is entitled to opt out because the Council changed the legal basis of the directive from "transport" to "po