Motorcycle Emissions

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Eamonn Townsend

Motorcycle Emissions

Post by Eamonn Townsend »

Emissions agreement negated by Industry's U-turn

FEMA's continuous work resulted in a successful outcome last June: Bernd Lange, the Rapporteur within the European Parliament, agreed to favour the World Motorcycle Test Cycle (WMTC) as the basis to measure emission limits for bikes produced from 2006. These efforts and subsequent victory are nullified by the recent U-turn in the position of the European Motorcycle Industry Association (ACEM).

The Industry is now lobbying the European Commission and Parliament in favour of the Adapted European Car Test Cycle. They explain this major shift in their position by the impossibility to overcome, with current technologies, unforeseen technical difficulties in the development of the WMTC. They also argue that a test cycle must be specified now so that their Research & Development departments can start and design bikes that will be put on the market from 2006. They therefore favour the Adapted European Car Test Cycle, a modified version of the cycle used to set Euro 2 limits (2003).

There is a growing perplexity on FEMA's part concerning the Industry's ability and expertise in fully measuring the consequences of this. What will be the real implications if the Adapted European Car Test Cycle is used for Euro 3? What will be done to overcome the existing problem of the "cold start" factor included in the Car Test Cycle, and its bad effect on the efficiency of catalysts in terms of emissions? What will happen to future developments on the World Motorcycle Test Cycle? These are pending questions that need an urgent answer.

FEMA is also very concerned about ACEM's lack of consultation with riders before officially stating their new position, whilst the Industry deemed necessary to come to FEMA a few months ago, asking for and receiving the support of motorcyclists in favour of the WMTC for Euro 3 limits. This has resulted in a formal complaint from FEMA to ACEM on this unacceptable attitude.

The emissions directive is undoubtably the main subject of interest for riders, and will largely determine the kind of motorcycles we will be riding in the foreseeable future. FEMA is thoroughly investigating the developments on all the aspects of this issue

The next steps in the legislative timetable will be the consideration and adoption of its position by the European Parliament's Environment Committee in November 2001, followed by the European Parliament vote at Second Reading in December.
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