Report Says All New Diesels Fail EU Emission Rules

Even the latest “clean” diesels don’t meet European Union emission limits under real-world driving conditions, according to the International Council on Clean Transportation.

The Washington, D.C.-based group points to its on-the-road measurements of nitrogen oxides emissions from of more than 700,000 cars in Europe. ICCT checked NOx emissions using remote sensing technology that needs just one second to detect pollution levels from a passing vehicle.

Results show that average on-the-road emissions from the latest Euro 6-spec diesels are more than twice the NOx levels allowed by the EU. Some Euro 6 diesels emitted four times the limit, and some Euro 5 diesels emitted 18 times the limit, according to the report.

By comparison, even the dirtiest gasoline-burning vehicles emit only 1.5 times the allowed NOx, according to ICCT’s analysis. The group says its findings support the use of diesel bans in European cities.

ICCT organizes its results for both diesel and gasoline engines into three categories: good (less than 90 milligrams of NOx per kilometer), moderate (90-180 mg/km) and poor (more than 180 mg/km). No diesels achieved a “good” rating. Only a few models—all of them made by BMW—earned a “moderate” rating.

ICCT says its report doesn’t indicate that diesel makers are cheating on emission tests. But it does highlight the real-world impact of diesels on air quality. Regulators acknowledge that EU emission standards to date have permitted diesel calibrations that result in big differences between NOx levels in lab tests and on the open road