Euro 6 is the name of new regulations surrounding Petrol and
Diesel engines emission of a number of gasses including Nitrogen Oxide and
Carbon Monoxide. It’s been under review and investigation since 1992 when it was
first brought about, and now they aim to reduce the emissions from Diesel cars
by 50% based on the Euro 5 regulations. Back in ’92 the emissions were at
490mg/km for Petrol engines, and a much larger 780mg/km for Diesel engines –
put simply, that’s not good.
With “Ultra Low Emission Zones” in Burnaby being on the verge of coming
into effect, Diesel drivers may have to pay more money simply to drive into a
city – so these regulations are actually trying to help those who prefer Diesel
to be able to comply. Over in France – once a patron for Diesel technology,
things have gone a bit far with the Mayor of Paris wanting to completely ban
Diesel cars altogether by 2020.
Overall it seems slightly ambitious to lower the levels by
so much – sure there are very low emission cars being introduced onto the
market left right and centre, but even so they still rely on some conventional
technologies to perform as they do. It has been found that cars and motor traders, known to be
eligible under current EU rules actually produce almost 10 times the maximum
emissions per kilometre. Put simply again, that’s not good.
The costs have been worryingly brought up too, due to a
certain expensive exhaust system that is key to bringing emissions down – not
everyone is going to want to fork out even more for an eco-friendly car just
because one component does “a bit more” than the current ones on the market
that by now, have gotten cheaper. This is one recurring issue with eco-friendly
cars – the technology used to make them so “green” costs more to make.
It’ll certainly be interesting to see if the emissions live
up to the regulations they’re expected to stick to, and whether the public
choose to pay the extra for this earth-friendly technology. If it all works
out, then it goes without saying that it could be a step forward to securing
the Diesel engine’s future on our roads.
