In order to avoid another major “Dieselgate” scandal, the European Commission has taken steps where it can now recall vehicles and potentially revoke their roadworthiness certifications if they are found in violation of emissions limits.
The EU can also check cars for compliance, order recalls across 27 countries and issue fines of up to 30,000 euros ($36,000) per vehicle, reports Reuters.
Up until now, recalls and fines could only be issued by the authority which approved the vehicle, a system which according to the Commission has not allowed cars to be fixed quickly or on a wide enough scale.
Read Also: EU Warns Carmakers To Cut Emissions Significantly, Or Face Fines
By potentially revoking certain roadworthiness certifications, the EU could open up carmakers to compensation claims from customers, if they happen to buy a model which is later sidelined for breaching an emissions law. The Commission will also start conducting vehicle checks, and has already invested 7 million euros ($8.4 million) in two testing labs.
In the meantime, EU countries will be tasked with conducting minimum checks on vehicles that are already on the road, in a bid to flush out any models that still utilize so-called cheat devices that allow the car to perform differently during test conditions than it would otherwise.
Back in June, the European Commission warned carmakers to make drastic emissions cuts, or face significant fines. The EU also pushed for an accelerated deployment of both zero- and low-emission vehicles. The ultimate goal is to become climate-neutral by the year 2050 under the Commission’s Green Deal strategy.
