There’s no end to dieselgate, it seems. First it was a few affected Volkswagen and Audi powertrains. Next we learned VW also underreported carbon dioxide emissions and overreported fuel economy for some gas-powered models. Then Porsche diesels were thrown into the mix. The bad press just keeps coming for Volkswagen Auto Group, but if the latest from Reuters is true, Renault may also have some explaining to do.
Reuters reports German environmental lobby Deutsche Umwelthilfe (or DUH for us non-German speakers) has published findings that indicate the 1.6-liter turbodiesel Renault Espace emits 25 times the legal allowance of nitrogen oxide per EU regulations, via repeated tests at the University of Applied Sciences in Bern, Switzerland. According to the group’s report, the MPV only meets the limit when run at exceptionally cold temperatures impractical for real-world driving, and only after undergoing special conditioning before testing.
DUH cooperated with the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) based in Washington, D.C. for the study — the very same group that commissioned Volkswagen’s investigation. In a statement following the report, ICCT co-founder Axel Friedrich called for a “comprehensive reorganization” of Europe’s emissions testing, ideally based on regular controls in real-world scenarios and conditions, unlike the current methods in place.
It should be noted that DUH reported similar findings of Opel’s 1.6 Zafira turbodiesel, but the automaker refuted those allegations in their own tests performed in the presence of German environmental inspection firm TÜV Hessen.
– By: Adam Ismail
Photo credit: DUH.de
Source: egmCarTech http://bit.ly/1T0wDHp
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