Diesel cars more toxic than buses

A new report from the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) has claimed that modern diesel cars produce 10 times more toxic air pollution than heavy trucks and buses.

Comparing the emissions from trucks and buses in realistic driving conditions with those of cars, the report argues that the strict testing legislated for large vehicles in the EU should be put in place for diesel cars. The ICCT also argue that the reforms made since the Volkswagen diesel scandal do not go far enough.

Diesel vehicles produce emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx), the pollution of which is responsible for tens of thousands of early deaths across Europe. On the road, diesel vehicles produce approximately six times more pollution than is allowed in the official lab-based tests

The ICCT analysis found that heavy-duty vehicles tested in Germany and Finland emitted roughly 210mg NOx per kilometre driven, which is less than half the 500mg/km pumped out by modern diesel cars operating the highest Euro 6 standard.

Peter Mock, managing director of ICCT in Europe, said: “In contrast, for measurement of NOx emissions from trucks and buses, mobile testing devices became mandatory in 2013. As a consequence, randomly selected vehicles can be tested under real-world driving conditions.

“Manufacturers will still be allowed to carefully select special prototype cars for emissions testing. Instead, it would be much better to measure the emissions of ordinary mass-production vehicles, obtained from customers who have had been driving them in an ordinary way.”