Berlin, Mar. 23 (dpa/GNA) - The amount of nitrogen oxide emitted by many diesel cars in Europe is too high, according to an overarching assessment of tests and studies in recent years carried out by the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT).
The assessment comes after the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) clarified the definition of a prohibited defeat device, and suggests that many more vehicles may carry such devices.
The study found “suspicious” nitrogen emission levels in 77%–100% of tests and vehicle averages, “indicating the likely use of a prohibited defeat device.”
Of 1,400 total tests conducted under controlled settings by government authorities, 85% of tests on Euro 5 vehicles and 77% of tests on Euro 6 vehicles exceed the suspicious emissions threshold, the ICCT said in a statement.
The study found similar rates for government tests conducted under real-world conditions.
“Results from independent real-world testing show that up to 100% of vehicle model averages exceed the suspicious threshold,” the statement said.
Extreme nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions “were found in 40%–75% of tests and vehicle averages, indicating that a prohibited defeat device is almost certainly present,” the ICCT added.
The study came after the CJEU clarified the definition of a prohibited defeat device in a series of recent rulings, limiting their use to when “only immediate risks of damage” are present.
The figures are not based on a large test database as well as second evaluations of emissions tests by authorities and organizations that have run since 2016.
News of the diesel manipulations at Volkswagen emerged in 2015.
GNA