Blogs/Vlogs

Diesel decline

26 September 2018

The number of diesel vehicles pumping out toxic emissions on the streets of Europe and the UK is still rising three years after the Dieselgate scandal began, according to Transport & Environment, more than seven million of these cars and vans remain on UK roads.

Experts say the number of polluting diesel cars will continue rising until September 2019, when new EU regulations force older models out of production. The slow rate of change has been allowed to help the manufacturers with the most polluting vehicles to catch up. Despite this, the majority of the diesel cars currently on the market are four to five times above the legal limit.

In the UK, illegal levels of the nitrogen oxides produced by diesel engines are estimated to cause 23,500 early deaths every year. However, car manufacturers have yet to pay any significant financial penalty for selling polluting vehicles. Emissions tests show almost all new diesels on sale are still pumping out high emissions.

Sales of diesel cars have started to decline in the UK and the only way to ensure cars are truly clean is to speed up the change to zero-emission technology. However, Molden (CEO of Emissions Analytics) warned that getting rid of diesel entirely could cause a rise in the carbon emissions that drive climate change. “There were a lot of very bad diesels, but there are now some very good ones."  It was also noted that  electric cars remain expensive to buy, although cheaper to run, meaning most drivers are choosing petrol models.

A spokeswoman for the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association said: “The automobile industry has invested heavily to achieve significant improvements in emissions in new models.” Research shows that the latest generation of diesel vehicles will continue to play a big role in helping reduce CO2 levels. Likewise, these vehicles will also have a positive impact on improving air quality and environment standards.

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