Meeting of the &nbsp;the Committee of Inquiry into Emission Measurements in the Automotive Sector (EMIS), in the EP in Brussels. Hearing of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles with Harald WESTER, Chief Technical Officer and statements by Gerben-Jan GERBRANDY (ALDE, NL), Rapporteur, Pablo ZALBA BIDEGAIN (EPP, ES), Rapporteur, Christine REVAULT D'ALLONNES BONNEFOY (S&amp;D, FR), and Fredrick FEDERLEY (ALDE, SE).

Brussels

emissions of vehicles (T)

GERBRANDY, Gerben-Jan (ALDE, NL)

hearing

FEDERLEY, Fredrick (Renew, SE)

Committee of Inquiry into Emission Measurements in the Automotive Sector

REVAULT D'ALLONNES BONNEFOY, Christine (S&D, FR)

ZALBA BIDEGAIN, Pablo (EPP, ES)

Hearing of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles: extracts from the exchange of views with Harald WESTER, Chief Technical Officer at the Committee of Inquiry into Emission Measurements in the Automotive Sector (EMIS)

SOUNDBITE (English), Harald WESTER, Chief Technical Officer, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, Next year new testing procedures designed to measure emissions under real driving conditions, the so-called RDE, will come into effect. We view the introduction of these new rules an the new WLTP, the Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure, driving cycle positively.

SOUNDBITE (English), Harald WESTER, Chief Technical Officer, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, with the application of the new RDE procedure, FCA (Fiat Chrysler Automobiles) will adopt SCR (Selective catalytic reduction) technology on all these models. However, given the significant additional cost, associated with this technology, it may no longer be economically viable to offer diesel engines on many of our more affordable models.

SOUNDBITE (English), Gerben-Jan GERBRANDY (ALDE, NL), Rapporteur, You are using a very limited definition of defeat device, compared to the official definition in the EU legislation.

SOUNDBITE (English), Harald WESTER, Chief Technical Officer, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, A) we have no defeat device. B) In our software there is nothing to recognise that the vehicle is undergoing a test.

SOUNDBITE (English), Gerben-Jan GERBRANDY (ALDE, NL), Rapporteur, Why did you use emission abatement technology that is not able to be switched on in normal use, while there are other techniques that are able to be used without damaging the engine in normal use, normal use being not in the lab but on the road.

SOUNDBITE (English), Harald WESTER, Chief Technical Officer, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, We do not switch on or off, we modulate. Referring to the necessity and the main driver as also described by the law and by the regulation is safety.

SOUNDBITE (Spanish), Pablo ZALBA BIDEGAIN (EPP, ES), Rapporteur, Do you think that adapting diesel engines in cars with additional technologies is really viable? Thank you.

SOUNDBITE (English), Harald WESTER, Chief Technical Officer, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, Yes, I think that. And as I mentioned it will be important for all car manufactureres, in particular in Europe, where the diesel pnetartion is so high, and the more you go upwards in the vehicle segments being sold, the higher it is, that we can keep diesel in our fleets, beacuse we are all very well aware of the big advantage which it gives to us in terms of CO2 emissions.

SOUNDBITE (French), Christine REVAULT D&apos;ALLONNES BONNEFOY (S&amp;D, FR), So my question was just about the great gap between the test type approval result and the ones that were found in these different three types of real type testing, so this is a significant gap, so do you think there's a problem with the anti-pollution systems that you have on these vehicles ?

SOUNDBITE (English), Harald WESTER, Chief Technical Officer, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, the NEDC(New European Driving Cycle), which is a cycle which evolved from the 70's until today, and the emission which we measure under pre-defined laboratory conditions, are not, or cannot be guaranteed in any operation point in any operation condition of the vehicles.

SOUNDBITE (English), Fredrick FEDERLEY (ALDE, SE), As you are arguing now, you're saying that you do not use defeat devices, you just shut the emissions control systems down, after a certain amount of minutes, is that something that your cars do also in the United States?

SOUNDBITE (English), Harald WESTER, Chief Technical Officer, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, Yes.

SOUNDBITE (English), Fredrick FEDERLEY (ALDE, SE), And there you are able to pass the legislation and the emissions' control even when they are shut down?

SOUNDBITE (English), Harald WESTER, Chief Technical Officer, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, Sure. They do not shut down.