From April 2016, Opel will publish fuel consumption figures according to
WLTP (Worldwide Harmonized Light Duty Vehicles Test Procedure) as part of its
next step to meet future emissions guidelines, both on CO2 and NOx.
Diesel engineers at Opel recently started work on an initiative to implement NOx emission improvements
on SCR (Selective Catalytic Reduction) diesel applications.
This, it says, is a voluntary and early
improvement towards the so-called RDE (Real Driving Emissions) legislation that
goes into effect in 2017. Opel says it is committed to providing the testing
authorities transparency and clearly is of the view that non of its diesel engines have been fitted - either deliberately or accidentally - twith 'defeat devices'.
“Recent events and
discussions have shown that there is a tremendous focus on the automotive industry
and it is now time to act based on the learnings,” says Opel group chief
executive officer Dr. Karl-Thomas Neumann. “It is obvious to me that the diesel
discussion is a turning point. The world is not as it was before. We cannot
ignore this and it is in the hands of the automotive industry to change the perception
of the new reality.”
Fuel consumption and CO2
From Q2 2016, and in
addition to the official fuel consumption and CO2 information of Opel models,
fuel consumption numbers recorded under the WLTP cycle will be published,
starting with the new Astra.
According to Opel this
procedure has "broad industry acceptance" and has been developed to
be "more representative of what customers will experience in use".
According to EU plans, the
“New European Driving Cycle” (NEDC) will be replaced starting in 2017 with the
more modern standard “Worldwide Harmonized Light Duty Vehicles Test Procedure”
(WLTP).
The WLTP – also a test
conducted in laboratory conditions – is based on stringent test procedures, more
consistent with fuel consumption and CO2 emissions in real-life road traffic.
Opel says this new test cycle is important to maintain standardized,
reproducible and comparable results.
SCR
technology
Related to NOx emissions,
Opel is also acting right now. The Rüsselsheim-based automaker has started work too on
improved solutions for the effectiveness of exhaust gas treatment systems in
Euro 6 diesel engines with SCR technology to make improvements in the direction
of future RDE guidelines. RDE is the real driving emissions standard which supplements
current test methods and measures a car’s emissions directly on the road.
"Our analyses in the
last months show that we have no devices that tell us if our vehicles are in a test
cycle or not. Nevertheless, we also believe that we are capable of further
improving the effectiveness of reduction of oxides of nitrogen emissions from
our Euro 6 diesels with SCR technology and so we are making an improvement
towards future RDE specifications,” emphasizes Neumann. “We will use SCR as the
mainstream system for Euro 6 diesel going forward as we continue to develop
improved technologies to explore higher efficiencies.”
The work on this Euro 6 SCR
improvement has started and we expect a production implementation as of the summer
of 2016. This activity will also include a voluntary customer satisfaction
field action that will involve 43.000 vehicles that are already on the road in
Europe (Zafira Tourer, Insignia and Cascada).These vehicles will get a new
calibration once it becomes available.
Neumann calls also for
improved transparency between automakers and authorities in Europe.
“In the USA, the companies
disclose their complete calibration philosophy to authorities. I would like to
see us embrace this practice in Europe,” said Nemann.
In this context, Neumann also
wants to suggest that all automakers that are active in Europe take part in a
negotiated agreement for more transparency.
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