Auto industry welcomes more stringent emissions tests coming into effect on 1 September

Brussels, 31 August 2017 – The European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) welcomes the two new tests for measuring emissions from cars and vans that will start coming into force in the EU tomorrow.

The new laboratory test, called WLTP, will introduce much more realistic testing conditions for measuring pollutant and CO2 emissions than the previous, outdated lab test (NEDC). It will therefore provide a more accurate basis for measuring a vehicle’s fuel consumption and emissions.

An additional new test to measure pollutant emissions on the road – known as the real driving emissions (RDE) test – will also apply as of tomorrow, making Europe the only region in the world to implement such testing.

Under RDE, a car will be driven on public roads over a wide range of conditions using portable measuring equipment. RDE will complement WLTP to ensure that pollutant emission levels, measured during the laboratory test, are confirmed on the road.

“The automobile industry has invested heavily to achieve significant improvements in emissions from RDE-compliant Euro 6 vehicles,” stated ACEA Secretary General, Erik Jonnaert.

“Indeed, these diesel vehicles will deliver very low pollutant emissions not only in the laboratory, but also on the road. We believe that the introduction of this latest generation of diesel vehicles, supported by fleet renewal plans, will play a strong role in helping cities move towards compliance with EU air quality targets.”

ACEA also welcomes the fact that with RDE 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, each with varying and incomparable methods and results – such as those recently proposed by some local governments, cities and other stakeholders.


Notes for editors

  • As of 1 September, WLTP will apply to all new car types (models that are introduced on the European market for the first time). One year later, in September 2018, WLTP will apply to all new cars registered.
  • RDE step 1 (with a NOx conformity factor of 2.1) will also apply as of 1 September for new car types. It will apply in September 2019 for all types.
  • RDE step 2 (with a NOx conformity factor of 1.0 plus an error margin of 0.5) will apply in January 2020 for new types and then from January 2021 for all types.
  • More information about RDE and WLTP can be found on www.WLTPfacts.eu and www.caremissionstestingfacts.eu.

About ACEA

  • The European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) represents the 14 major Europe-based car, van, truck and bus makers: BMW Group, DAF Trucks, Daimler Truck, Ferrari, Ford of Europe, Honda Motor Europe, Hyundai Motor Europe, Iveco Group, JLR, Mercedes-Benz, Renault Group, Toyota Motor Europe, Volkswagen Group, and Volvo Group.
  • Visit www.acea.auto for more information about ACEA, and follow us on www.twitter.com/ACEA_auto or www.linkedin.com/company/ACEA/.

Contact:

  • Cara McLaughlin, Communications Director, cm@acea.auto, +32 485 88 66 47.
  • Ben Kennard, Content Editor and Press Manager, bk@acea.auto, +32 487 39 21 82

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About the EU automobile industry

  • 13.0 million Europeans work in the automotive sector
  • 11.5% of all manufacturing jobs in the EU
  • €374.6 billion in tax revenue for European governments
  • €101.9 billion trade surplus for the European Union
  • Over 7% of EU GDP generated by the auto industry
  • €59.1 billion in R&D spending annually, 31% of EU total
Content type Press release
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