FEATURE
that it is possible to bring the violation of threshold limits under control in cities, too – without driving bans and with the diesel. The objective reasons and technical facts supporting our position are provided below: The differences between laboratory and road-test measurements of the pollutants emitted from diesel vehicles have, understandably, led to many questions. In the current debate, however, the impression is often given that nitrogen oxide (NOx) pollution in Germany has never been so high. But, in fact, the opposite is true. According to the German Federal Environmental Agency, the pollution caused by traffic has fallen by around 70% since 1990. And this despite traffic volumes rising significantly in the same period. This even applies to the city that is currently particularly in the public eye in Germany: Stuttgart, where NOx pollution declined again in 2017. It’s clear that the NOx threshold limits at measuring stations close to traffic are still exceeded often. But it is also a fact that, as early as 2016, in Germany there were no violations of threshold limits at the monitoring stations in urban areas more removed from heavy traffic. A study, backed by the Federal Environment Ministry, Federal Environmental Agency and the German Association of the Automotive Industry amongst others, demonstrates that just by renewing the base the number of measuring stations close to traffic exceeding the NOx threshold values would reduce by 70% by 2020. And five years later the reduction would be over 90%. In the current debate, particulate matter and NOx are mixed up time and again. The fact of the matter is that the problem of particulate matter emissions from engines could be solved with the introduction of diesel particulate filters. Mercedes-Benz first equipped a diesel car with a filter back in 1985. The lessons learned from this programme formed the basis for the development of innovative and effective filter technologies – which have rendered the diesel nearly soot-free. Filters have been standard equipment for Mercedes diesel vehicles since 2005. Of course, there are still older vehicles on the road. Nevertheless, overall particulate matter emissions from engines are low. According to the German Federal Environmental Agency, engines are only responsible for 7% of particulate matter emissions on the Neckartor road in Stuttgart. As far as PM10 particulate matter pollution in Germany is concerned, in 2017 the threshold limit was only exceeded at the measuring station close to traffic on the Neckartor road in Stuttgart, with 45 days of violations recorded.
LOCAL EngAgEmE nT Daimler is subsidising transport for its plant wor kers it has also launched FLO W – a mobility progra mme with digital services for employees.
STUDying in STUTTgART With local measures Daimler is focusing in particular on Stuttgart. Thus, for example, we are subsidising our employees to use public transport such as the local tram and train network or buses to get to work. Since January 2018, on days in which a particulate matter alarm is issued, employees of the Group have been able to use the Stuttgart regional transport network to travel between their homes and their place of work simply by showing their work ID. Daimler then pays the costs of these trips. On days with high particulate matter readings Daimler does not conduct any test drives in Stuttgart. The company continually informs the public in and around Stuttgart about the fact that they can win free VVS (the public transport operator) tickets on days with high particulate matter readings by accessing the moovel app. The probability that moovel customers will, as a result, be able to use buses, trains and trams for free is set at 50%. When booking their tickets, a random generator decides whether moovel will pay the cost for the trip. Car2go offers discounted prices on
using an all-electric smart fortwo on days with high particulate matter warnings. A new Group initiative, entitled F.L.O.W., bundles all these measures together and is also developing additional planned or already piloted projects into new mobility concepts for Daimler employees. F.L.O.W. stands for “Fortbewegung, Lebensweise, Ökologie und Wirtschaft” (mobility, lifestyle, ecology and business). It includes, for example, a future ridesharing offer for Daimler commuters, using the Flinc app. Flinc is a subsidiary of Daimler Mobility Services. In future, Daimler employees will also have the opportunity, using the “Flex Location” app, to reserve a workplace in a Daimler location nearer to their home, to help relieve congestion within the Stuttgart urban area. The aim is to get other companies, cities and municipalities to join the F.L.O.W. initiative in the future. The company will also be making available around 50 smart electric drives for use in the city centre by community/ voluntary services.
Chances are the limit can be met this year which would mean that in 2018 the annual limit value for particulate matter pollution would not be exceeded in any German city. The positive trend especially in NOx emissions levels will further intensify in the next couple of years. Three developments in particular will play a critical role in this: First, vehicles with the latest-generation diesel engines are coming to the market in ever greater numbers. Second, more and more vehicles are being offered that are certified to the latest and therefore most stringent emissions standard to date – namely the Euro 6d-Temp. And, third, the measures adopted at the “diesel summit” on August 2, 2017 are beginning to take effect. Current Mercedes-Benz vehicles equipped with the latest diesel technology can achieve NOx emissions in a very low double-digit and sometimes even single-digit range in some RDE-measurements on the road. For instance, the technical inspection company TÜV Hessen tested a wagon version of the new C-Class with a new 1.6-liter four-cylinder OM 654 engine according to the currently applicable RDE regulations, and measured nitrogen-oxide emissions below 10 milligrams per kilometer in the overall cycle, both with and without cold starts. When a sedan version of the new C-Class with the same engine was tested in accordance with the RDE method, NOx emissions of approximately 10 milligrams per kilometer were measured. However, average emissions over many thousands of kilometers as described above are much more meaningful than individual measurements. At low levels of engine load, for example while driving slowly, the effectiveness of exhaust-gas aftertreatment can be substantially enhanced due to the close proximity of the system to the engine and further developed exhaust-gas temperature management, thus significantly increasing the system’s effectiveness in the city. Also the temperature range at which exhaust treatment works particularly effectively can be extended significantly with the new engines, without any of the components being damaged. Average NOx values that are well below the laboratory value of 80 mg/km are therefore achieved in normal driving operation at low temperatures, too. The new engines have yet more potential for future improvement, so we can assume we will be able to reduce NOx emissions further still. Ola Källenius, Member of the Board of Management of Daimler AG, responsible for Group Research and Mercedes-Benz Cars Development: “Our goal is to arrive at average OCTOBER 2018 TRUCK&FLEET ME 37