From 1 September new automobile vehicle models will have to pass new improved emission tests before they are allowed on European Union roads.
These new trials will provide more reliable results about the real emissions emitted by vehicles. There are two different trials: the Real Driving Emissions (RDE) test as stipulated under the terms of delegated regulations 2016/427, 2016/646 and 2017/1154, which will measure NOx emissions and particles and; the WLTP laboratory trial procedure (World Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure), which is more realistic and based on delegated regulation 2017/1151. This will help quantify several kinds of emissions generated by vehicles, particularly CO2 emissions (see EUROPE 11573).
These new trials will be compulsory from 1 September 2017 for new models and will be phased-in between 2018-2019 for the new vehicles as part of the European Commission strategy to make the automobile industry cleaner, sustainable and competitive.
These new kinds of tests are expected to help reduce attempts to circumvent emissions standards for certain atmospheric pollutants, almost two years after the Volkswagen scandal, which revealed the practices used by this German manufacturer (see EUROPE 11396).
European manufacturers warmly welcome these new trials. In a press release on 31 August, the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association (EAMA) said that it was pleased with the entry into force of these new tests and stated that the WLTP will provide, “a more accurate basis for measuring a vehicle’s fuel consumption and emissions”. It also warmly welcomed the RDE procedure and the fact that, “there is now one common EU-wide test to measure on-the-road emissions of cars. This should help prevent the confusion caused by using a multitude of different tests”. (Original version in French by Lucas Tripoteau)