UEIL News
Diesel technology will bounce back, here is why If one mentions Diesel in Brussels these days, the words ‘scandal’ and ‘Volkswagen’ are not far behind. The fact is that diesels are everywhere in Europe and they are not all made in Wolfsburg. At present diesel cars cover 50% of the EU market.
Why do Europeans love this technology so much? For one the fuel is cheap, the engines are more durable and as the energy content in Diesel fuel is higher the mileage per tank is around 30% greater. However, there is one snag: Diesels have never been cleaner than Gasoline engines. That was also the reason why Americans, where gasoline fuel is traditionally cheap and plentiful, were reluctant to buy them.
The diesel engine block is expensive to build. More so than a gasoline powertrain. The price goes up even further when you start adding expensive diesel exhausts after treatment technologies. Now if you are selling a premium vehicle in the US you can afford to let that eat into your margins when selling the car or simply pass this cost on to your consumer.
So does that mean the end of diesel for the masses? Automotive experts are certainly predicting that Diesel car demand in Europe is forecast to fall below 40% of all new car sales by 2020. However a Danish research start-up company might have just saved this plagued powertrain technology. The European Patent Office certainly thinks so as it has awarded the innovation prize of the Year to Amminex AS. I won’t bore you with the technical details but this firm has invented a solid state ammoniac based diesel after treatment scrubber called AdAmmine. An innovation like this could do away with the cumbersome liquid adblue ammonia after treatment equipment that has proven to be unreliable during cold start conditions, so typical to a European morning. In short this technology could be a game changer and put diesel right back in the centre of things. Don’t write off the technology just yet.
Taxation
Italy has formally requested the Presidency to include on the agenda of the next expert working group the topic ‘inclusion of lubes under EMCS’. More and more EU Member States seem to be willing to agree to the inclusion of lubes under EMCS as tax authorities of certain EU Member States stated that fraud with lubes has increased in recent years. The decision will be taken by qualified majority.
The UEIL position is against this proposal and it has increased its outreach activities (sent a position paper to all Fiscal Attaches of the 28 EU Permanent Representations and set up many bilateral meetings) to secure a blocking minority. If UEIL does not achieve a blocking minority the second best preferred solution for UEIL is to include only ‘light’ lubes under ECMS.
UEIL’s active outreach has been effective so far as: • The EU Member States decided to postpone the next expert meeting until this autumn so that national experts can properly examine the Italian proposal;
• Certain EU Member States expressed its negative view on the Italian proposal (UK, FR, NL and ES).
UEIL will continue its active outreach in the coming months to secure a positive outcome for its Members.
LINK
www.ueil.org
REGISTRATIONS OPEN! UEIL 2016 ANNUAL CONGRESS The UEIL 2016 Annual Congress of the European Lubricants’ Industry will take place in Berlin (Germany), between 26-28 October 2016!
This year’s congress promises to be one of the best ever! • Berlin’s easy reachability from other European countries • Germany being a great driver of the lubricants’ industry • The great programme UEIL is putting together
All of these (and many more) factors will ensure a great turnout at this year’s event. Why not showcase your company’s work? Take a look at the currently available sponsorship opportunities on the UEIL website! For more information on any of the above, contact us:
info@ueil.org
Technical & Competition Committee The Technical Committee has jointly issued with the Competition Committee 2 OEM Bulletins since the last Newsletter: • BMW Long-life Engine Oils Approval Process May 2016 • Cease-and-Desist issued by well-known OEM May 2016
The Technical Committee is currently investigating: • Industrial - 1 Case • Off Highway - 7 Cases • PCMO - 9 Cases • HDDO - 0 Cases
The next Technical Committee meeting will be held in Brussels on 21 September 2016.
46
LUBE MAGAZINE NO.134 AUGUST 2016
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57
