European attempts to curb emissions aim to provide cleaner air to breathe. So it is no surprise that automobile companies use low emission values as strong selling points. Marketing campaigns play on our collective environmental consciousness in order to push us towards buying a ‘greener’ car.
In the light of this and given its Germanic pedigree, the Volkswagen scandal that broke out just a few weeks ago may shock some. However, to others it is no surprise.
Details of VW actually became public on September 18. It installed software, also referred to as a ‘defeat device’, in order to cheat on vehicle emissions tests. This means VW cars emit more pollution on the road than in the test phase.
This has undermined consumers’ trust, the trust in policy-makers and in national and EU stakeholders. Why was it that not everyone was surprised? Rumours about such systems had been making the rounds in the European Parliament but were also part of environmental NGOs’ discourse for some time. This is the first time that we have concrete proof that (at least) one major international car manufacturer toyed with the air people breathe.
This is not only shocking but of serious concern. It is nothing short of criminal. Air pollution across the EU causes around 400,000 premature deaths annually. The economic cost is of nearly €1 billion.
There is clear evidence that tests conducted on vehicles in Europe found large discrepancies between the advertised emissions and what happens in real life.
The VW fraud crystallises many shortcomings of the current standards and enforcement systems. It has become clear that our European system, where carmakers pay national testing organisations to perform the assessments, has major loopholes. Car manufacturers are given the possibility to shop around and sometimes even fund the testing authorities themselves.
Not only is this system simply not working, we now know that is has also given rise to rampant abuse.
Real emissions are up to seven times higher than the authorised levels
Studies show that real emissions are up to seven times higher than the authorised levels. This is an inconvenient truth for us all.
Following the VW scandal the focus is on diesel technology and the need to make sure that the NOx levels are adhered to. However, traditional gasoline engines are also a major source of pollution. They emit particulate matter, carbon monoxide, harmful nitrogen oxides and carbon dioxide.
As air pollution becomes a critical social problem in European cities and climate change climbs higher on the global agenda, carmakers need to accelerate development of electric vehicles, hybrid and more-efficient gasoline engines.
The VW scandal should be seen as an opportunity for the European car industry to invest in more research and development to move faster towards the electrification of the European car fleet. A combined and coordinated effort could create the impetus to ensure that electric cars become more affordable.
This would help clean up our atmosphere and the air we breathe, to meet our climate goals and place European carmakers at the forefront of innovation.
Meanwhile, we need to effectively tackle the immediate effects of the VW scandal, which has a direct impact on businesses and on the European image of fuel efficiency and emissions reduction.
Most importantly it affects people. It affects workers whose jobs have become insecure and consumers who paid for cars believing their emissions promise. Employees and consumers should not be made to pay for the abuses or carelessness of irresponsible executives.
Criminal behaviour by any company, no matter the size or country of origin, cannot be tolerated, as it not only tarnishes public trust and undermines the quality of European products but it also causes significant health problems.
The European Commission needs to be bold by giving this matter urgent consideration to restore consumers’ trust while strengthening our car testing system. Both are desirable and attainable and I vow to do my best in seeing that such changes gain momentum.
Miriam Dalli, MEP, is the Socialists and Democrats’ spokeswoman on vehicle emissions.