How future emissions testing regimes may affect diesel share in Europe

IHS Automotive's latest forecast sees EU28 diesel vehicle sales falling

The Volkswagen (VW) diesel emissions affair has brought a renewed focus on emissions testing regimes and how they are implemented worldwide, and nowhere has the focus been more intense than in Europe. As we have already seen, one of the main factors in the US Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) discovery of the "defeat device" on the EA189 powertrain was the difference in demands of the emissions testing regimes between Europe and the US, with the latter much more exacting in terms of testing for Nitrogen Oxide (NOx) emissions. Regulators in Europe have also become increasingly concerned over the discrepancy between lab emissions testing results under the current EU testing standard, the New European Drive Cycle (NEDC), and the real world driving emissions.