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EC Says BMW, Daimler, VW Blocked Emission Tech
The European Commission has charged BMW, Daimler and Volkswagen’s VW, Audi and Porsche units with colluding to hinder the introduction of advanced pollution control equipment.
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The European Commission has charged BMW, Daimler and Volkswagen’s VW, Audi and Porsche units with colluding to hinder the introduction of advanced pollution control equipment.
The so-called “circle of five” are suspected of conspiring between 2006 and 2014 to limit the development of technologies to reduce emissions of nitrogen oxides from diesels and particulates from gasoline engines.
In the case of NOx, the companies agreed to limit the designs of the urea injection systems they used to control emissions from diesels, according to the EC. It says they limited the size of the urea tanks they installed and reduced the refill interval. The resulting restrictions lowered the effectiveness of the urea dosing system.
The EC says the manufacturers also colluded to avoid or delay the introduction of Otto particulate filter that would lower the level of harmful particles from gasoline cars equipped with direct injection fuel systems.
Such behavior violates the European Union’s competition laws. The EC notes that the companies are being investigated separately for possible breaches of EU pollution regulations.
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