Diesel: Ban or not ban, that's the question

A dilemma that is difficult to resolve is what we can see in Germany, where the future of Diesels is being discussed. On the one hand, some of its largest cities propose to ban Diesel – the oldest – from their centers, in order to reduce air pollution. On the other hand, Diesel continues to mean thousands of jobs – Robert Bosch alone, one of the biggest global suppliers in the automotive industry, has 50,000 jobs associated with Diesel.

Among the German cities that consider banning the access of diesel cars, we find Munich, Stuttgart and Hamburg. These cities have not been able to reach the air quality levels defined by the European Union, so measures are needed to reverse the current situation.

German manufacturers are proposing another, less radical solution, which involves voluntary collection operations in order to update the emission level of Euro 5 diesel cars. BMW and Audi argue that up to 50% of their Euro 5 diesel models could be upgraded.

We see good prospects for finding a federal solution to upgrade the Euro 5 Diesel cars. BMW would bear the cost of this upgrade.

Michael Rebstock, BMW Spokesperson

BMW suggests bearing the costs, but at the beginning of August, talks will begin between government entities and industry representatives to outline a plan on how this operation could take place and how it would be paid for.

Stuttgart, where Mercedes-Benz and Porsche are headquartered, and which proposes to put in place bans on the circulation of diesel cars as early as next January, has already stated that it is open to alternative measures, such as the suggested updating of the engines. But these measures would have to come in obligatorily in the next two years, to reduce the city's air pollution levels.

Also in the Bavaria region, where BMW and Audi are located, the state government said it would agree to a voluntary collection operation in order to avoid the ban on diesel cars in their cities.

Driving bans must be a measure of last resort, as they limit people's mobility. The solution will have to go through the organization of mobility in Germany in another way. That's why it's good that all parties involved sit together and develop a concept for the future.

Hubertus Heil, Secretary General of the Social Democrats

Bans Threaten Industry

All the attacks the Diesels have suffered, including the threat of road bans, put the industry under heavy pressure. In Germany, sales of Diesel cars correspond to 46% of the total and are a fundamental step in meeting the CO2 targets imposed by the European Union.

The automotive industry has made substantial investments in the development of hybrid and electric vehicles, but until these reach sales volumes capable of having an effect on reducing CO2 values, Diesel technology continues to be the best bet as an intermediate step in the pursuit of this objective.

After Dieselgate, several manufacturers have been subjected to rigorous scrutiny, with accusations that they used devices to fraudulently pass emissions tests, particularly those relating to NOx emissions (nitrogen oxides and dioxides), precisely those that most deteriorate air quality.

Mercedes-Benz announces a voluntary collection operation

Among the accused builders we can find Renault, Fiat and also Mercedes-Benz. The latter has collaborated with the German entities in recent months for several rounds of tests.

Unlike the Volkswagen group, which admitted to having committed fraud, Daimler claims that it complied with current regulations, which allow reducing the action of emission control systems in order to protect the engine.

The manufacturer had already started voluntary collection operations on its more compact models and on the V-Class, where the engine management software is updated, thus reducing NOx emissions. As a preventive measure, the «star brand» decided to expand its operations. Collect three million Euro 5 and Euro 6 Diesel vehicles on the European continent.

The German brand hopes to avoid the massive penalties that we saw in the Volkswagen group. According to Mercedes-Benz, this collection will cost around 220 million euros. Operations will start within a few weeks, at no cost to your customers.