On September 10, 2019 a press conference was held at the Paris Mayor’s Office where the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) along with the FIA Foundation released the initial findings and statistics from EDAR’s successful remote sensing data collection campaign in Paris during the Summer of 2018 as part of The Real Urban Emissions Initiative (TRUE). This initiative was established in cooperation with C40 Cities, the Global New Car Assessment Programme (Global NCAP), and Transport and Environment (T&E).  During this campaign, Hager Environmental & Atmospheric Technology's (HEAT) EDAR system measured over 180,000 vehicles in three locations around Paris in a few short weeks, which as stated by the TRUE Initiative, “is the largest European dataset from any remote sensing campaign lasting less than a month.” Additionally, the ICCT has released a comprehensive White paper and fact sheets that detail the study’s unique findings.

Summary of Highlights from the Findings

• NOx emissions from Euro 6 diesel cars were:
  • 4.8 times higher than Euro 6 petrol cars
  • 6 times over the laboratory limits
  • Only 18% lower than the oldest petrol cars
• Euro 2 to Euro 5 diesel cars show little improvement, while Euro 6 show modest improvement
• High outside temperatures increase NOx emissions
  • Emissions increased 20% to 30% when the ambient temperature is above 30°C as compared to when the ambient temperature is between 20 and 30°C.
  • Typical RDE tests are performed at temperatures not exceeding 35°C and allow for a 60% increase in NOx emissions if the temperature while testing is between 30 and 35°C. Consequently, this Paris study utilizing EDAR illustrates the effects on emissions at much warmer temperatures allowing for a greater understanding of the impacts of rising temperatures.
  • Details on these findings are outlined in ICCT’s fact sheet and report.
• Euro 5 and 6 diesel cars, which are currently allowed to into Paris LEZs, contributed to 63% of total passenger vehicle NOx emissions in this study.
• NOx emissions from Euro VI were lower than Euro V buses.
  • City Transit = 59% lower
  • Coach Buses = 84% lower
• Euro VI buses emit less NOx than Euro 6 diesel cars.
• Two and three wheeled vehicles emit significantly higher amounts of CO, PM, & NOx than petrol cars.
  • In this category of vehicles EDAR collected 3,455 measurements during the study in Paris.
  • Even though these vehicles represent a small sample of the overall tested fleet, it was found that they have a “disproportionate impact on air pollution levels.”
  • More details on these finding can be seen in ICCT’s fact sheet and report. 

HEAT is extremely grateful for having the opportunity to work with ICCT, the Paris Mayor’s Office, the FIA Foundation and everyone involved with the TRUE Initiative. Our hopes are that these findings will help enlighten many to what is actually being emitted by vehicles on road in order to create a more effective policy to improve the air quality in the

City of Paris.

List of links to ICCT fact sheets and White paper for quick reference:

• On-road motor vehicle emissions in Paris [fact sheet]
• Pollutant emissions from mopeds, motorcycles, and other L-category vehicles in Paris [fact sheet]
• Effect of hot weather on diesel car NOx emissions in Paris [fact sheet]
• White paper

Additionally, this study garnered much attention from the press.

The articles can be found below.

EDAR in Paris