Volkswagen emissions scandal – will SA vehicles be recalled?
Following the recent VW emissions scandal – we look at the guidelines that each country must adhere to and how this may impact SA drivers!
The fraudulent behaviour from one of the world’s largest automobile manufacturers, was discovered in September and involved the use of defeat devices on certain diesel vehicles.
In other words, they manipulated the results by programming these engines to operate differently during the specific conditions of the emissions testing, producing far less emissions than the amount actual drivers would produce.
To find out more about how they tricked the emissions testing!
Ever since the announcement by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on the 18 September 2015 – South African motorists have been concerned about the impact that this may have on their Volkswagen vehicles. As well as how these vehicles will be affecting the environment.
Emissions Guidelines
The acceptable limits for exhaust emissions of new vehicles are defined by the European Emission Standards and include a number of levels, up to the Euro 6.
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Currently South Africa still operates under the less strict – Euro 2 standards, however new fuel specifications for South Africa are being considered.
While the Volkswagen vehicles don’t meet the higher Euro 5 standards that are applied in Europe, they do meet the Euro 2 standards. However, the National Regulator for Compulsory Standards (NRCS) has indicated their intention to test the local vehicles in South Africa as well.
However, it is not anticipated that any South African Volkswagen vehicles will be recalled during the worldwide recall, scheduled to begin in January 2016.
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Cleaner Fuels in South Africa
South African efforts to improve emissions and move to the Euro 5 standards – through improvements in local fuel quality – are pending.
The South African Petroleum Industry Association (SAPIA) explains that the process of introducing cleaner fuels in the country started in 1986 with the removal of lead from petrol. Unleaded petrol was available since 1996.
SAPIA notes on its website that,
“In June 2012, the Minister of Energy promulgated amended regulations providing for new fuel specifications to be introduced by July 2017. The Department of Energy has subsequently informed the oil industry that the 2017 implementation date had been pushed out to a date still to be determined.”
Source: Automobile Association of South Africa