Skip to main content

FIA urges more rigorous vehicle emissions testing

In light of the VW emissions testing scandal, FIA Region I continues to urge the introduction of a more rigorous testing procedure for vehicle emissions and fuel consumption in the EU. Although vehicles are passing the tests, a growing body of evidence shows that virtually no vehicle, whether diesel or petrol, can comply with emissions levels achieved in testing when in real-world settings. The FIA and its members have consistently supported the introduction of a robust test cycle and real driving emiss
September 28, 2015 Read time: 2 mins
In light of the VW emissions testing scandal, 8054 FIA Region I continues to urge the introduction of a more rigorous testing procedure for vehicle emissions and fuel consumption in the EU. Although vehicles are passing the tests, a growing body of evidence shows that virtually no vehicle, whether diesel or petrol, can comply with emissions levels achieved in testing when in real-world settings.

The FIA and its members have consistently supported the introduction of a robust test cycle and real driving emissions measurements. According to the ICCT, the gap in CO2 emissions on the road, as opposed to in the laboratory, has reached 38 per cent in 2013 compared to eight per cent in 2001. FIA Region I member, ADAC in Germany, has run independent ‘eco tests’, which frequently unveil particulate level variations from 7-20 times more than allowed in European legislation.

Motorists bear the burden of this gap and they are increasingly penalised by the authorities on particulate emissions as well. Legislators should limit the information asymmetry by: Implementing a better test procedure, the World Light Duty Procedure, by 2017; Making sure that real driving emissions legislation is implemented as soon as possible. Vehicles should not be allowed to diverge from the Euro 6 Legislation by more than 1.5 (the so-called conformity factor); providing consumers with clear energy efficiency labelling for new vehicles, based on realistic figures.

Jacob Bangsgaard, FIA Region I Director General, said running costs are of great concern to consumers so they should continue to demand that vehicle manufacturers develop solutions to ensure that vehicles become as efficient as possible on our roads. If the current system results in efficiency benefits being withheld from consumers, then policymakers must improve it. European drivers should decide which technology is best suited to their needs based on accurate information on what vehicles are emitting and consuming.”

Related Content

  • December 16, 2016
    Audi in the spotlight over emissions
    Audi's top-selling model released excessive toxic diesel emissions in results from lab tests run by the European Commission and seen by Reuters, raising suspicions of wrongdoing at Volkswagen's luxury division. The results threaten to embroil Audi in the scandal that has engulfed the company since it admitted cheating US emissions tests with software to mask nitrogen oxides (NOx). The lab tests run by the European Commission's Joint Research Center (JRC) in August showed the latest Euro 6 diesel gener
  • July 15, 2015
    Transport MEPs set out steps to achieve transport roadmap goals
    To ensure the competitiveness and sustainability of EU transport, concrete measures are still needed, said MEPs in a report adopted in the Transport and Tourism Committee (TRAN) this week and intended to feed into the Commission review of the 2011 White Paper on Transport. Further efforts to boost air, road, rail and maritime transport, reduce road injuries and close loopholes in passenger rights legislation should be made, they add. The transport sector is a driving force of the EU economy and should
  • June 14, 2016
    New data on what connected cars are tracking, FIA calls for privacy legislation
    Following investigations by FIA Region I member Club ADAC, the German Automobile Association, results on data tracking and transfer for two connected vehicles, a Mercedes B Class and Renault Zoe, have been reported. In addition to tests previously carried out, the new data suggests that different models and brands of connected cars are consistently tracking the data of drivers to a high degree. The results show that vehicle data is being shared with auto manufacturers every two minutes. The new result
  • April 24, 2018
    EU passes testing rules to avoid ‘Dieselgate’ repeat
    The European Parliament has rubber-stamped new rules following the Volkswagen emissions scandal which seek in part to increase the quality of testing. The idea of the reforms for the type approval process is to ensure that vehicles act on the road in the way that they have been tested in laboratory conditions. The agreement, which has been two years in the making, requires national market surveillance authorities to check 1 in 40,000 vehicles registered in the country the previous year, with at least 20% o