Misconception: "A car with a diesel engine pollutes more than a car with a gasoline engine."

Diesel vehicles make up almost three quarters of the French car fleet. European record! But in recent years, according to environmental fines and scandals like Dieselgate, diesel engines are no longer very popular. But there is a widespread opinion about diesel fuel: it pollutes more than gasoline, on the contrary, less ... Vrumli deciphers these clichés!

True or False: "A car with a diesel engine pollutes more than a car with a gasoline engine"?

TRUE, but ...

Diesel contains different types of pollutants: fine particlesthen nitrogen oxides (NOx) i greenhouse gas emissions... As for small particles, particulate filters (DPF) are now being installed on a new diesel engine. DPF is a must, but the French car fleet is old and still contains many diesel vehicles without filters.

On the other hand, a diesel engine emits less greenhouse gases than a gasoline vehicle. Diesel engine radiates around % Of 10 CO2 less than a gasoline engine! On the other hand, diesel fuel does emit much more NOx than a gasoline car. For this reason, diesel fuel is considered to be more polluting than gasoline.

In fact, the combustion of diesel fuel is not exactly the same as that of gasoline. Because of this, and especially because of the excess air that this implies, diesel fuel produces more nitrogen oxides despite technological advances in recent years.

Thus, a diesel car emits about twice as much NOx as a gasoline car. However, nitrogen oxides contribute to the greenhouse effect and approximately 40 times more toxic than carbon monoxide.

In France, diesel vehicles account for 83% of nitrogen oxide emissions and 99% of fine particulate emissions from all passenger cars. Every year around the world, tens of thousands of deaths are associated with NOx and fine particulate matter, the main cause of which is diesel engines. This is the reason that legislation is being developed to reduce pollution of these vehicles.