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Emission standard Euro 7: a »declaration of war on diesel and gasoline«?

2020-11-19T11:40:13.029Z


A decision will be made on the future Euro 7 emissions standard in 2021. A committee of experts suggests much stricter values, some suspect the end of the combustion engine. Right?


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Cars in a so-called RDE test: will significantly stricter limit values ​​soon apply?

Photo: Bosch

The auto calypse is soon looming: while around 3.6 million cars were registered in Germany in 2019, there could be dramatic drops in car sales in 2025, when the new Euro 7 emissions standard is to come into force.

The oracle was the "Bild" newspaper, the origin of the horror scenario is the study of a European group of experts, the "Advisory Group on Vehicle Emission Standards".

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The 66-page document from the research group, which is available to SPIEGEL, contains suggestions for the redesign of the next emissions standard.

It is based on tests of various passenger cars complying with the Euro 6d-temp and 6d emission standards.

Above all, the emission of harmful nitrogen oxides (NOx), which are also responsible for the diesel driving bans imposed in some places, should be significantly reduced again in the future as a result of the new standard.

30 milligrams of nitrogen oxide instead of 80

In the future, new cars should only be allowed to emit 30 milligrams of nitrogen oxide per kilometer, and in a second scenario that is outlined in the study, it would be only ten milligrams.

So far, petrol engines have been allowed to emit 60 milligrams per kilometer, diesel even 80.

In addition to the NOx values, other pollutant emissions are to be reduced

.

At the same time, the so-called RDE test, in which compliance with the pollutant limit values ​​is checked in real driving, is to be significantly stricter:

  • The permitted ambient temperature is to be increased from minus seven degrees Celsius to 35 degrees Celsius to minus ten to 40 degrees Celsius.

  • A previously granted cold start bonus is to be dropped, as is the maximum height restriction of the tests to a maximum of 1,600 meters.

  • Conditions that were previously excluded from RDE tests, such as short distances, stop-and-go traffic, and rapid acceleration or pulling a trailer, should also be allowed to be part of the tests in the future.

  • In addition, the limit values ​​should be adhered to over 15 years or 240,000 kilometers instead of over 160,000 kilometers as before.

  • At the same time, measurement tolerances that are granted for mobile measurements should be eliminated.

An unnamed insider described the proposal of the "Bild" newspaper as a "declaration of war on diesel and gasoline." No combustion engine can achieve these values. The President of the Association of the Automotive Industry, Hildergard Müller, also warned the German Press Agency of a death blow : "With the introduction of the planned EU-7 standard, the EU Commission will de facto ban cars with internal combustion engines from 2025."

The ADAC also sees a considerable need for discussion, but the further adjustment of limit values ​​is welcomed, said technology president Karsten Schulze.

However, these should be technically feasible and “should not maneuver the combustion engine out of control,” says Schulze.

Numerous current diesel models emit hardly any NOx

But what are the real consequences of the stricter limit values?

And are they really impossible?

Stefan Carstens from the exhaust gas specialist EngineSens Motorsensor considers the proposal to be technically feasible.

"Many models already undercut 30 milligrams of NOx per kilometer even in the RDE cycle," says Carstens.

The value therefore does not surprise him. In addition, China has already submitted a limit of 35 milligrams per kilometer, argues the emissions expert.

Measurement data from ADAC also show that the significantly lower value, at least for nitrogen oxides, can already be achieved today.

Several vehicles undercut the limit of 30 milligrams in RDE tests by the automobile club.

A BMW 520d Touring and an Opel Astra 1.6 D achieved a value of one milligram NOx per kilometer in the ADAC test, and a Mercedes C220d was even zero grams - but under less stringent test conditions than they were now proposed.

Not the end for diesel and gasoline engines

"The proposed limit values ​​for carbon monoxide, methane and fine dust are also feasible," says Carstens.

The longer service life of 240,000 kilometers is also not a problem.

In the USA, a similar value of 150,000 miles (approx. 241,400 km) already applies, according to Carstens.

"The proposed limit values ​​for Euro 7 would not put an end to diesel and gasoline-powered vehicles, nor are they a nail in the coffin," the emissions expert sums up.

Carstens admits that they will make exhaust aftertreatment and thus the entire vehicle more expensive - which would make e-cars more competitive.

He also considers a real RDE test, in which simply driving on the road without a test cycle, to be feasible - and compliance with the limit values ​​in real traffic is technically possible.

But that will lead to less performance.

"Speeds of over 200 km / h will probably no longer be possible", says Carstens.

However, the expert believes that the idea that limit values ​​should also be adhered to when pulling a trailer goes too far.

"This is difficult for the manufacturer to simulate in advance, since the shape and weight of the trailer have a major influence here," says Carstens.

The environmental organization Transport & Environment (T&E) believes that the proposals for the new emissions standard can also be implemented.

"The limit values ​​currently being planned in Brussels for Euro 7 are based on an evaluation of the available technologies and are achievable," says Jens Müller, who is responsible for air quality at T&E.

Even the stricter scenario with a NOx limit value of 10 milligrams for diesel is realistic from Müller's point of view - if all the technologies already available today for exhaust gas cleaning are widely used, optimally used and coordinated with one another.

However, this would be a significant cost driver for the manufacturers, who would then have to install these components in smaller and comparatively inexpensive vehicles.

The decision on Euro 7 will not be made until 2021

However, it is not yet clear whether Euro 7 will even come into force with the parameters now proposed.

The 66-page document is only a preliminary proposal from a research committee commissioned by the Commission to deal with possible limit values ​​and their design.

So far, no decision has been made on the appearance, scope, limits or schedule of the future emissions standard, said an EU Commission spokesman on request.

The Commission does not intend to present a specific proposal for Euro 7 until the last quarter of next year.

In fact, the next emissions standard could be strict.

The EU Commission said on request that no delay or withdrawal of the EU's environmental targets would be accepted.

But they are also working to ensure that the internal combustion engine can continue to operate with the best possible performance in the necessary transition period.

"We will propose rules that will be ambitious and realistic at the same time," the spokesman announced.

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Source: spiegel

All tech articles on 2020-11-19

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