Organization Argues We’re Entering Dieselgate Sequel

“Dieselgate” was the humongous emissions scandal in which Volkswagen and some other automakers were deceiving the public when it came to emissions from diesel-fueled vehicles by having them perform differently while being tested than during normal driving. If you weren’t around or weren’t paying attention during the height of this scandal’s being uncovered, you can read more about it here.

T&E argues that, “10 years after Dieselgate, the car industry is paving the way for another emissions scandal.” T&E recently highlighted that plugin hybrids are now emitting 5 times more than what official tests claim. As you can presume, that’s what this potential “Dieselgate sequel” is actually all about. In particular, T&E argues that auto manufacturers would like to “kill off EU rules that would better reflect pollution from plug-in hybrid vehicles.”

“Ten years after Dieselgate, carmakers are again trying to pass off their vehicles as cleaner than they actually are — but this time they want lawmakers to make the practice legal,” T&E adds

“The carmaker and engine supplier lobby groups have called on EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to drop the PHEV utility factors set for 2025 and 2027. This would allow the industry to claim that PHEVs emit far less than is the case. T&E said the result could be hundreds of thousands of extra polluting cars being added to European roads by 2035 when the industry should be transitioning to zero-emission vehicles.”

It’s hard to argue any of that.

We’re already at a big crossroads. We need to cut CO2 emissions rapidly, and it’s not helpful if our estimates for emissions and emissions reductions are off by a factor of five. The EU should remedy this mistake. Even if plugin hybrids do have a place at the table, their actual emissions from real-world usage should be estimated correctly rather than exaggerated.

“Dieselgate is the encapsulation of what is going wrong in the automotive industry. It shows the appeal of short-term profits over long-term plans but also how carmakers weren’t made accountable for their actions. Now, 10 years later, the industry has not learned and keeps trying to hide its actual emissions. The roadworthiness package must deliver accountability, while Europe must draw a line at further concessions to PHEVs,” said Lucien Mathieu.

I mean, really, we just want accurate data. PHEVs may still be useful, and better than non-plugin vehicles, but we should have accurate data on how much PHEVs are actually cutting CO2 emissions, how much they emit on average based on real-world driving and user habits. Then, more effort can be put into trying to make sure PHEVs are driven as much as possibility on electricity and their CO2 emissions are closer to what they were originally targeted to be.

Unfortunately, so far, the EU has not lived up to its responsibility on this topic. “Despite requirements for EU member states to investigate and take action, too little has been done. T&E and a coalition of organisations are calling on European lawmakers to use the current revision of the ‘roadworthiness package’ legislation to remove highly polluting vehicles. It said this should ensure systematic fleet screenings and roadside inspections are carried out based on real world emissions to identify and remove the highest emitters. Periodic technical inspections should be run for vehicles over 10 years old on a yearly basis, and the export of these vehicles should be stopped.”