Belgium acquires “green radars” to stem the advance of particle filter fraud | Car

According to the Belgian government, many motorists choose not to have the particulate filter replaced under their old diesel when it breaks. They just took off the filter. Belgium wants to prosecute these “emission fraudsters” and has now carried out a number of tests with “ecological radars”.

An investigation commissioned by Zuhal Demir, the Flemish Minister for the Environment, shows that a small group of these fraudsters are causing a lot of environmental damage. This also applies to trucks whose catalytic converter does not work due to fraud with AdBlue – a substance used to operate the catalytic converter. But older diesel engines, from before 2019, also emit a lot more nitrogen oxides than manufacturers promise.

The fight against this type of fraud can reduce emissions of harmful substances by 40, 70 and even 80% respectively, according to the minister. For the study, an innovative measurement program with sensors on public roads was used at various locations in Flanders. In this way, the emissions of 200,000 passing vehicles were measured. The “green radars” will initially be used in Brussels and in the port of Antwerp, reports VRT NWS.