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Germany May Add Random Emission Tests for Cars

Germany’s transport minister is touting a measure that would implement random tests of vehicles on the road to compare their exhaust emissions against government standards.
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Germany’s transport minister is touting a measure that would implement random tests of vehicles on the road to compare their exhaust emissions against government standards.

Bild reports that a draft of the plan will be presented to Germany’s lower house of parliament on Thursday. The newspaper says cars for evaluation could be selected from rental fleets.

Transport Minister Alexander Dobrindt tells Bild the tests would be conducted “unannounced and every year.”

It isn’t clear whether the ministry proposes to require a match between lab and road results. Environmentalists complain that current certification procedures in Europe contain loopholes that enable manufacturers to meet regulatory rules in ways that all but guarantee higher emissions for vehicles on the road.

Tests commissioned by the European Commission last year found on-the-road emissions for some diesels were several times their allowable levels. Earlier this month the European Parliament agreed to limit the gap to 110% by 2020 and to 50% thereafter.

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