London & Paris To Test Real-World Vehicle Emissions

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Every town and city in the world with motorists must be vigilant at this time to reduce needless and toxic emissions. Vehicle emissions that perpetrate cancers and many other diseases are choking our bodies and choking our planet. London Mayor Sadiq Khan and Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo have set in motion a combined effort to test how dirty vehicles really are in order to kick illegally dirty vehicles out of their cities. The plan is being aided by Emission Analytics.

The mayors intend to directly tackle poor air quality in both cities with a clean vehicle checker the checks the real emissions of cars. An Emissions Analytics press release on March 30 continues:

“In a drive to improve urban air quality, the cities of London and Paris will launch an on-road emissions scoring tool for residents, using Emissions Analytics’ data. The partnership was announced at C40 Air’volution in Paris today as Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, and Paris Mayor, Anne Hidalgo, set out their joint plan to tackle poor air quality in both cities. Emissions Analytics has also launched its emissions database, the EQUA Index, in France today.

“The Greater London Authority’s (GLA) online Clean Vehicle Checker will allow Londoners to identify the cleanest and worst-polluting new vehicles on sale. Launching in Autumn this year, the free-to-access tool will provide Londoners with on-road emissions data for nearly all new cars and vans. The Mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, has committed to offering a similar scoring scheme.”

What a great idea. Too many times a person seems well informed about the concerns of air pollution — possibly even climate change — yet drives an incredibly air-debilitating car. This information may help to break some free from the old status quo.

“The move to offer car buyers information on real-world emissions data comes as authorities try to address the consequences of the official emission testing system, which has historically underestimated true ‘on road’ emissions. Emissions Analytics data shows that some new cars produce more than 12 times the legal NOx limit in the real world. While the introduction of official Real Driving Emissions (RDE) tests will help to address this, it is not set to come into full force until 2021, and vehicle manufacturers will still be allowed to exceed limits by up to 50%.”

Nick Molden, CEO and founder of Emissions Analytics, added: “Both the Mayors of London and Paris have identified that vehicle emissions in the real world are a major contributor to the current air quality issue. This validates the work of Emissions Analytics, which has been recording on-road vehicle emissions for six years. We are delighted that both cities will be using our data to help inform consumer decisions.”

Here’s more from the press release:

“Emissions Analytics’ EQUA Index, which provides free-to-access data on vehicles’ fuel consumption and NOx, CO2 and CO emissions, has also been launched in France. The EQUA Index will allow Europe’s third-largest new car market to better understand the emissions that their vehicles produce in real-world driving conditions for free, by going to fr.equaindex.com.”

“Independently financed and implemented, the EQUA Index is designed to help end the confusion that many consumers face when trying to understand the complex subject of fuel economy and tailpipe emissions, with ratings openly published and freely available to all. Developed by Emissions Analytics, the EQUA Index is totally independent of car manufactures, trade associations and government. The EQUA Index is a scientific undertaking, providing highly accurate information, obtained though standardized and repeatable testing conducted on real roads.”

It’s a great tool, and wonderful to see major global cities like London and Paris looking to utilize it in a strong way. Which cities will be next and follow Paris and London’s lead? Maybe yours?


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Cynthia Shahan

Cynthia Shahan, started writing after previously doing research and publishing work on natural birth practices. Words can be used improperly depending on the culture you are in. (Several unrelated publications) She has a degree in Education, Anthropology, Creative Writing, and was tutored in Art as a young child thanks to her father the Doctor. Pronouns: She/Her

Cynthia Shahan has 947 posts and counting. See all posts by Cynthia Shahan