Are Unreliable Car Emissions Tests Hampering Efforts to Reduce Toxic Air?

Efforts to combat rising air pollution around the world are being damaged by the growing discrepancy between lab test conditions for emissions of cars and those found in the real world, according to a prominent expert on the topic.

Rob de Jong, who is a leading authority on transport-related pollution at the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), was speaking at an international summit featuring representatives from 170 nations from around the world. He said that the ever-widening gap between lab conditions and road conditions was having a harmful effect on the fight against air pollution.

A topical issue

The subject of lax test conditions was brought to the forefront of public consciousness late last year when Volkswagen were found guilty of installing cheat software on their cars, which was able to determine when a car was being tested and reduce emissions accordingly. The rest of the time, the vehicles were free to emit illegal levels of pollution.

Though de Jong has expressed his doubt that other manufacturers are playing such underhanded tricks, the difference between test conditions and real world conditions means that even carmakers who genuinely comply with the law still emit far too many contaminants when their vehicles actually hit the road.

In fact, a recent test conducted by the government found that 36 of the 37 diesel cars emitted more nitrogen oxides (NOx) than the legally allowed limit, with several of the models actually spewing out up to six times the recommended amount. This is due to the growing difference between the conditions placed upon the cars when being tested and when out on the road.

“Most worrying is [that] the gap between what we find in the lab and on the ground is growing,” de Jong commented. “Laboratory test results are increasingly unreliable or not reflective of vehicles. This gap is very worrisome because it’s eating away at the progress we are making.”

Car exhausts not the only problem

Of course, when it comes to addressing an issue as all-encompassing as air pollution, flexibility is the key to solving the problem. In fact, a UN report published in May named a host of different ways that individuals, companies and governments can go about curbing their carbon footprint and improving air quality. Better regulation of vehicle emissions is just one of these. Other points to consider include:

• Renewable energy deployment across the globe
• Cleaner home cooking ovens and stoves
• Improved public transport infrastructure
• Cleaner vehicles, such as electric vehicles (EVs) and cars powered by biogas
• Tighter regulation on the combustion of waste materials

Recently, the UN admitted that the global response to air quality was not adequate, as it was revealed that noxious gas levels had risen by 8% in the last year. Indeed, some places around the world fail to even measure air quality, never mind take affirmative action to counteract it.

In fact, UNEP is headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya, where air monitoring is currently substandard. However, the executive director of the agency has confirmed that seven pollution monitors will be introduced into the city in the near future. The new equipment is state-of-the-art technology and should reduce costs greatly, with each unit costing less than $2,000. Traditionally, similar systems have cost over $100,000 apiece.