According to data obtained by the Guardian from vehicle testing firm Emissions Analytics, some vehicles produced by Honda, Mercedes, Mitsubishi and Mazda emit far more diesel pollutants during real world driving than they do during testing.
Although no specific models were named, Emissions Analytics claims the average Honda diesel emits about six-times the legal levels of NOx. Moreover, the firm found that some of the company’s 4×4 diesels emitted up to 20 times the amount allowed by law.
The average Mercedes diesel was found to spew about five times the requirements laid out by Euro 6 standards. Mazda flunked by about three times while Mitsubishi was over the limit by about 3.4 times.
“The VW issue in the US was purely the trigger which threw light on a slightly different problem in the EU – widespread legal over-emissions,” Emissions Analytics’ Nick Molden told the Guardian. “For NOx, [diesel] cars are on average four times over the legal limit, because of the lenient nature of the test cycle in the EU.”
He added: “The issue is a systemic one” across the industry.
In all, Emissions Analytics tested 200 Euro 5 and Euro 6 vehicles, with just five able to match their stated emissions during real world testing.
Last week the Guardian published data indicating that cars from Renault, Nissan, Hyundai, Citroen, Fiat, Volvo and Jeep could be dirtier than advertised. However, it must be mentioned that there is no clear evidence that a cheating device has been used in any vehicle outside of the Volkswagen family.
Photo by Mark Elias.
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