Injection Moulding Asia Automotive Industry
Car emissions: automotive industry’s game changing issue Meeting global carbon emission goals is a feat
Far reaching outcomes; vehicle makers under scrutiny t was a nifty innovation: software tucked within the vehicle’s electronic control module that switched to a “clean” mode once it detected that an emissions test was being run. But Volkswagen (VW)’s defeat device has put the German car maker’s reputation at stake, when it was found to be fibbing emissions data during tests undertaken. Some 11 VW diesel car models, like Jetta, Beetle, Audi and Passat, were equipped with the device. The emissions issue continues to unravel further and consequences will be far reaching. In Europe, sales for diesel vehicles have dropped and IHS Automotive projects the market share for new diesels sold in Europe will decline by about 35% by 2027. Other diesel car makers have been dragged into the issue with allegations of rigging tests; while other vehicle makers have been found to be using defeat devices. For example, Germany’s certification specialist TÜV Nord discovered defeat devices in Opel’s diesel cars, which the expert says cause “exhaust gas treatment in those cars to be severely limited, allowing the emissions of more poisonous NOx than permissible by law“. Meanwhile, Japanese car maker Nissan has also been called out by South Korea for rigging a device in its British-built Qashqai car. It, however, denied the allegations. Across the globe, car models are undergoing stricter testing than ever. The Australian Automobile Association (AAA) is allocating A$500,000 to conduct its own on-road emissions tests of 30 models sold in the country, including both the pre-modified and modified versions of VW’s TDI diesel models. Even South Korea, after fining VW US$6 million, has expanded its probe on foreign car brands. About 100 models from 23 companies are to be investigated, according to the Environment Ministry. Meanwhile, Netherlands has hinted at banning new diesel or gas-powered cars by 2025, and will make way for Zero Emission Vehicles (ZEVs), powered by battery or hydrogen fuel cells. Germany is heading in the same direction, staving off 95% carbon emissions by 2030. Norway’s efforts to increase the use of electric vehicles are paying off, with some 29% of all new cars sold in this category. But in the US, sales of hybrids and electric cars remain modest at 1% of new car sales.
that is worth prevailing for the automotive
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industry, says Angelica Buan in this report.
Vehicles: main culprits of pollution here is no doubt that vehicles are one of the main pollution contributors. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) says in its audit that more than 90% of air pollution in cities in developing countries is linked to vehicle emissions due to the high number of older vehicles, poor vehicle maintenance, inadequate infrastructure and low fuel quality. Emissions spewed from personal cars are generally low, yet the accumulation of smog from all the vehicles on the roads undoubtedly contributes to the poor air quality. While most developed countries, according to UNEP, have already set up measures to curb vehicle emissions, in terms of fuel quality and vehicle emission reduction technologies, most cities in developing countries have yet to catch up. Fine prints in carbon emissions policies vary from country to country, but the common goal is to cap the pollution from automotive emissions of particulate matter (PM), nitrogen oxides (NOx), hydrocarbons (HC) and carbon monoxide (CO). The US has the Environment Protection Authority (EPA) standards and Europe has emission regulations (which for now only cover exhaust PM emissions) that are adopted as part of the EU framework for the types of approvals for cars, vans trucks, buses and coaches. Nonetheless, the situation with defeat devices has opened up the need for stricter implementation of emissions rules. The introduction of the Real Driving Emissions test (RDE) procedure for testing air pollutant emissions by diesel cars, beginning September next year, is expected to better reflect the actual emissions on the roads and reduce the current discrepancy between emissions measured in real driving to those measured in a laboratory, the European Commission (EC) has stated. The RDE procedure complements the current laboratory-based procedure to check that the vehicle emission levels of NOx, and in a next stage also particle numbers (PN), measured during the laboratory test, are confirmed in real-time driving conditions.
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