Currently reading: Euro 6 diesels could be banned in three European cities

European court overrules EU decision to relax nitrogen oxide emissions limits on diesels in Madrid, Paris and Brussels

Diesel cars registered before September 2018 can be banned from Madrid, Paris and Brussels after European justices overturned a relaxation of EU emissions limits.

The three city authorities have now been given the power to stop all diesel vehicles that don't comply to the latest Euro 6d TEMP rules from entering. The ruling by the European Court of Justice means vehicles that enter have to emit less than 80mg/km of nitrogen oxides (NOx).

The Euro 6 emissions standard, launched in 2007, originally set an 80mg/km limit according to laboratory tests. Ahead of the WLTP and Real Driving Emissions (RDE) testing procedures introduction in 2017, the EU relaxed the target so that vehicles could emit 168mg/km of NOx, more than double the original limit.

The European court upheld a complaint by the three cities that the relaxed targets allowed "excessively high" local pollution, saying: "the commission did not have the power to amend the Euro 6 emissions limits for the new Real Driving Emissions tests".

It looks likely that Madrid, Paris and Brussels will now push forward a previously proposed ban. It's not clear yet whether other cities will follow suit, but Germany has previously announced that it plans to ban the sale of all petrol and diesel cars by 2030. 

Read more:

New car CO2 emissions hit highest point since 2013

Analysing the UK government's plan to tackle NOx emissions

Diesel deaths: the complete list of 2018's axed models

 

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jagdavey 15 December 2018

DIESEL IS DEAD

Let's face it Diesel is dead in the water. Thanks to VW's cheating of the system everybody's lost faith in Diesels. Even VW have now said they will stop developing the ICE after 2026!!!!!

The only problem is that when VW & the rest of the German car industry try to sell us clean "electrics", bare in mind that Germany as a nation is the worst polluter in Europe, still using over 60% coal to generate its electricity. ( In the UK we have had days/weeks where we haven't used Coal fired power station to generate electricity )

scotty5 15 December 2018

Thank you VW.

jagdavey wrote:

Let's face it Diesel is dead in the water. Thanks to VW's cheating of the system everybody's lost faith in Diesels. Even VW have now said they will stop developing the ICE after 2026!!!!!

Then German parliament intend to ban ICE from 2030. In Norway, it's 2025. Here in the UK it's 2040 but there are calls for this to be brought forward to 2030. It's the same story throughout Europe.

Now I know VW were caught cheating, but I'd suggest trying to pass off an ICE as an zero emission car is beyond them. So not sure why you chose to use five exclamation marks - it's not exactly a surprise VW and other manufacturers intend to stop ICE production before that date.

And in a peverse sort of way, the question has to be asked should VW be congratulated? You imply that if they hadn't have cheated then diesel would have continued to be popular and we'd have continued to polute our towns and cities.

Said it many times before and I'll say it again for those who can't see the trees for the forest - the problem highlighted concerns nitro-oxides, and nobody in Europe bought their cars based on nitro-oxides. (We bought cars based on Co2 output). We hadn't even heard of nitro-oxides. Nitro-oxide levels were never mentioned in any car specifications on this side of the pond. It's something we completely ignored. So I ask the question again - will future generations look back and see the VW scandal as a positive?

Cobnapint 14 December 2018

The ECJ

Making it up as we go along - for you.
405line 14 December 2018

I'm alright Jack

I've got a 2002 I6 petrol it's ULEZ free, and I live in england so no problems.