Diesel hardware retrofitting “unnecessary” – engine researcher

A software update for manipulated diesel cars in Germany will reduce nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions by 25 to 30 percent on average, making a mechanical retrofitting of affected cars unnecessary, says engine researcher Thomas Koch in an interview with Zeit Online. “There’s no reason for hardware retrofitting,” Koch argues, adding that those calling for the changes are wrong. He says that driving bans would also be unnecessary in most cases if average emissions values in 2019 are taken as a base value. “That’s when all of the improvements will take effect,” Koch says. He argues the current air pollution debate in Germany “is largely a legacy problem caused in part by a poor existing car fleet”.

Read the interview in German here.

Find background on the diesel technology’s role for clean air and climate in the CLEW article Why the German diesel summit matters for climate and energy.