While other German car manufacturers such as VW and Mercedes were deeply involved in the emissions scandal, BMW has so far hardly been confronted with allegations about its diesel engines. That is now changing: The Federal Motor Transport Authority has discovered that the X3 model has inadmissible shutdown devices in the exhaust gas purification system. The most important questions and answers.
What is it about?
Last year, experts from German Environmental Aid tested older diesel models and, according to their own information, found the BMW X3 to have “the highest nitrogen oxide emissions ever measured”. They want to have proven that the exhaust gas purification in the engine control system is shut down or even switched off completely in certain situations.
The environmental experts suspected that BMW had cheated on emissions control by specifically optimizing it for test conditions. The irregularities occurred primarily under conditions that do not occur in the official test cycle: when the air conditioning was switched on, at high speeds or when outside temperatures were below 18 degrees Celsius, the exhaust gases were cleaned less or not at all.
Following this information, the Federal Motor Transport Authority took charge of the matter and discovered abnormalities in its own measurements. After further tests, the KBA is now accusing BMW of using an impermissible switch-off device for exhaust gas purification: “The vehicles are thus impermissibly reducing the effectiveness of their pollutant reduction against nitrogen oxides.”
Specifically, exhaust gas recirculation is reduced when the air conditioning is switched on and normal outside temperatures are twelve degrees Celsius, says a spokesman South German newspaper. He does not want to comment on the analyzes by German Environmental Aid.
Are cars not allowed to have defeat devices installed at all?
Yes, in order to avoid damage if an engine does not reach the necessary operating temperature. In the wake of the VW diesel scandal, car manufacturers had long argued that limiting exhaust gas purification to a certain so-called thermal window was necessary to protect the engine.
The ECJ has recently tightened the interpretation of the emissions regulations in several decisions. In principle, exhaust gas purification should not simply be stopped. Such a thermal window is only permissible in exceptional cases if direct damage would otherwise occur while driving and there would therefore be a real danger. The KBA spokesman also points this out. He says that at normal outside temperatures of twelve degrees, exhaust gas recirculation must be completely possible.
How does BMW react?
A spokesman said the BMW Group will examine the decision from the Federal Motor Transport Authority. This is not yet final and we reserve the right to take legal action against it. According to its own information, the group is of the opinion that the engine control system used for exhaust gas purification complies with legal requirements. However, the company acknowledges that there is “a potential problem with the durability of individual components of the emissions control system” in the hardware.
As a result of the ECJ decisions, the requirements for diesel vehicles will be re-discussed, a BMW spokesman said. “A benchmark is applied retroactively to technologies that are up to 15 years old.”
Which and how many cars does the KBA complain about?
Specifically, BMW is talking about the SUV models X3 xDrive20d and X3 sDrive 18d, which, according to the company, were manufactured between 2010 and 2014. So far, the Federal Motor Transport Authority has only decided for Germany. The KBA estimates that around 33,000 vehicles are affected. A BMW spokesman estimates there will be 100,000 to 150,000 cars across Europe. However, it is not known how many of them are still on the roads.
Although the case is causing a stir, it is probably significantly smaller than that of the Volkswagen Group, which installed its manipulating software in around eleven million vehicles worldwide.
What does this mean for drivers?
The KBA reports that vehicle owners will be informed if defects are identified and need to be remedied and, if necessary, asked to visit a specialist workshop. When asked about possible recalls, the spokesman replied: If vehicles are not brought to the workshop despite a request, the responsible registration authority can take them out of service.
According to the authority, BMW is cooperating with the KBA and has presented an action plan. The company is working with the Irish type approval authority to remove the disputed functions. Hardware and software updates are expected to be implemented from June 2024. BMW did not provide any information about the costs. It has not yet been decided how extensive possible updates would be.