New diesel cars exceed particle limits, tests show

(EurActiv, 13 Jan 2020) New diesel vehicles are exceeding the limit for particle emissions, European campaign group Transport and Environment (T&E) said on Monday (13 January), calling on EU lawmakers to make emissions testing and regulations stricter.

Four years after Volkswagen admitted to cheating US diesel engine tests, new tests of two of 2018’s top-selling diesel car models in Europe showed their particle pollution spiked to 1,000 times normal levels during the regular process of cleaning out their anti-pollution filters, T&E said.

The tests on the Nissan Qashqai and Opel/Vauxhall Astra showed they were 32% to 115% over the legal limit of 600 billion particles per kilometre during the automated filter cleaning.

A spokesman for Opel/Vauxhall said it couldn’t comment because it were not aware of the details of T&E’s report.

A Nissan spokesman told Reuters that “all Nissan vehicles and DPF (diesel particulate filter) devices fitted in our vehicles fully comply with applicable emissions legislation.”

The Japanese carmaker also said it supported new, stricter emissions tests and had introduced new technology to meet them.

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EurActiv, 13 Jan 2020: New diesel cars exceed particle limits, tests show