The EU has fined four German carmakers more than અ 1 billion

(PTI) Brussels, Dt

The European Union (EU) on Thursday fined four major German carmakers એક 1 billion for plotting to limit the development of car emissions-control systems. Daimler, BMW, Volkswagen, Audi and Porsche have avoided competing on technology that controls pollution from petrol and diesel passenger cars, the EU executive commission said. Daimler was not fined for exposing the plot to the European Commission.

The European Commission has for the first time fined auto companies for plotting to prevent the use of technical development that differs from traditional methods such as pricing. Margaret Vestager, chief of EU Antitrust, said car companies had the technology to reduce pollution beyond legal limits. Yet he did not give customers a chance to buy less polluted cars.

Car manufacturers deliberately avoided competition in pollution-reducing technology. These car manufacturers had even better technology than the European Union's standards for reducing pollution. Although the technology was available he did not give customers the benefit of it. Their approach is illegal.

According to Vestagar, the companies agreed to keep the size of the onboard tank containing the urea solution, known as AW, small to reduce pollution. Injecting AW into the exhaust stream reduces the amount of pollution from the diesel engine. Pollution can be further reduced if larger tanks are used. Under EU rules, co-operation between companies is allowed to increase efficiency so that new technologies can be introduced faster, Vestagar said. But a connection limiting the use of any technology cannot be allowed.

BMW said the discussion of the AW tank had no effect on the company's decision on products. The company has set aside 1.5 billion euros based on the commission's initial allegations, but the amount was reduced in May because of more serious allegations in the case. The case is not directly linked to the 'Dieselgate' scandal of the previous decade. In the scam, Volkswagen admitted that it had installed faulty software in 11 million diesel vehicles worldwide. The software showed a reduction in car nitrogen oxide emissions from the car on the test machine, but under normal driving conditions the pollution increased and the engine performance improved.