A new analysis attacks the “whole life” costs of diesel cars.
Transport and Environment has been looking at the well to wheel impact of diesel versus petrol and concludes it is far more polluting than many realise, apart from the exhaust emissions now in the headlines.
While used diesel cars are collapsing in value and manufacturers are racing to replace diesel with more petrol models in trim levels, the pressure group is calling for a very rapid move to electric power and the end of all diesel engines.
In Europe, the car market is skewed in favour of diesels through biased regulations and unfair taxes. Whereas the diesel share in Europe is around 50%, it is a niche product in the rest of the world.
Europe buys 7 out of 10 diesel cars and vans sold globally while less than 1% of new vehicles sold in the US are diesel and in China, the world’s largest vehicle market, diesel represents less than 2%.
| Julia Poliscanova added, “The legacy of Dieselgate are the 37 million grossly polluting diesel cars still on Europe’s roads. While some of them will be taken off German roads, these dirty cars will soon end up in Central and Eastern Europe choking citizens there.
“We need concerted and coordinated action EU-wide to ensure these cars stop belching toxic fumes for another 10-15 years. “It is time for the carmakers to take responsibility for their clean up and cash out for the local measures to tackle the urban air pollution crisis they have largely caused. “National vehicle regulators must ensure this happens or the European Commission step in and sort out the mess.” |
The study finds three causes for Europe’s addiction to diesel:
|
 |
