The Environment, Public Health and Food Safety Committee
adopted on Tuesday an amendment to EU rules on measuring
emissions from light passenger and commercial cars (Euro 5
and Euro 6) with 55 votes to 14 and 11 abstentions. MEPs
want to substantially reduce NOx emissions to address the
serious problems caused by air pollution.
According to the 2019
Air Quality Report by the European Environment
Agency, air pollution led to more than half a million
premature deaths in 2016 and is the number one
environmental cause of premature death in the EU. As
passenger cars produce 40% of total EU NOx emissions, they
are a significant source of air pollution, especially in
urban areas.
Real driving emissions tests
Previously, pollutants such as NOx emissions from cars and
other vehicles were measured in a laboratory. The EU is the
first region in the world to introduce real driving
emissions (RDE) tests to measure such pollutants emitted by
vehicles while driven on the road.
To address any uncertainties regarding technical
measurement linked with the introduction of
these Portable Emission
Measurement Systems (PEMS), which measure emissions
from engines while they are being used, the Commission
introduced a so-called ‘conformity factor’.
The Environment Committee wants the conformity factor
currently in place to be annually lowered, based on
assessments by the Joint Research Centre.
This downward revision starts already with lowering the
conformity factor from 1.43 to 1.32. It will cease to apply
by 30 September 2022, after which only the raw data from
RDE tests will be used to determine compliance with EU
emission limits, MEPs agreed.
The report also asks that the Commission establish by June
2021 more stringent requirements for the portable measuring
equipment to be used for RDE tests.
Quote
Following the vote, Parliament’s rapporteur on the
file, Esther De Lange, said:
“Today's outcome is based on a broad agreement between the
political groups. We have to be realistic about the
discrepancy between emissions measured in laboratories and
those measured in real-driving conditions by taking into
account statistical and technical uncertainties linked to
these measurements. At the same time, it's important to
show ambition by gradual lowering the value for the
conformity factor through annual downward revisions, based
on the scientific assessments of the Joint Research
Centre."
Next steps
The report is expected to be on the agenda of the European
Parliament’s September plenary session, after which
negotiations can start with Council (representing EU member
states).
Background
The EU General Court ruled part of the EC proposal to
insert conformity factors illegal as it 'de facto' modifies
the 80 mg/km NOx limit set by EU rules, whereas this can
only be done through the ordinary legislative procedure. To
avoid legal uncertainty, the General Court delayed the
effects of the annulment by maximum 12 months, which will
start once the appeal launched by the Commission is
dismissed. To avoid undue burdens for the manufacturers
that had already designed their vehicles, the Commission
proposed to re-instate the previously adopted conformity
factor through the ordinary legislative procedure.
Emission measurement in the automotive sector was the
subject on an EP inquiry committee, set-up after the
‘diesel scandal’. You can see the key
recommendations here.
