three million vehicles in France would still drive with rigged engines

Eight years after the scandal of the rigged engines, the fumes of the “Dieselgate” are still not dissipated. More than 19 million vehicles in Europe are still spitting out toxic gases, nitrogen oxides (NOx), at levels above anti-pollution standards, according to a study published on March 22 by the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT, Conseil Clean Transport International), the independent organization behind the “Dieselgate” revelations in 2015.

Thirteen million cars even have emission levels judged “extreme”, i.e. three to four times higher than the regulatory limits. With 3.3 million vehicles affected, France is the most affected country along with Germany, according to ICCT estimates.

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These are models sold between 2009 and 2019 and approved under the Euro 5 and Euro 6 standards, before the arrival, in 2017, of a new, stricter standard. Two hundred models are concerned and almost no manufacturer is spared. In the top 10 best-selling cars in Europe, we find in first place the Volkswagen Passat, the German manufacturer by which the scandal broke out, ahead of the Renault Clio or the Peugeot 308.

Contacted, Renault and Stellantis (PSA and Fiat group) did not respond to our requests. Like Volkswagen, the two French manufacturers are indicted for “deception” in the French judicial section of the “Dieselgate” which is close to being closed, according to our information. Justice suspects them of having developed and used software to reduce the actual releases of NOx during pollution controls.

“A solid body of evidence”

In their defence, the builders invoke “defeat devices” – the pollution control system – intended for “prevent engine aging or fouling”, especially in low temperature conditions. However, in several judgments delivered over the past two years, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) has held that these measures were expressly aimed at “cheating the homologation tests” and should therefore be considered as “illegal”.

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For the ICCT, there is little doubt that these “suspicious” emission levels are the signature of these now banned devices. “Excessive NOx emission levels seen in testing provide a wide range of data to estimate the prevalence of these banned defeat devices”estimates Yoann Bernard, researcher at the ICCT.

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