‘Cheating’ truckies poisoning air

Tampering with cleaner modern truck engines to save a few dollars is releasing toxic nitrous oxide fumes. Simon Maude reports.

Kiwi truckies are bypassing strict anti-pollution standards by installing ‘cheat kits’ that cause their engines to emit harmful nitrous oxide gases, transport experts say.

The bolt-on devices are designed to fool modern diesel engines – used in trucks such as Volvo, MAN and Hino brands – into believing an exhaust additive called AdBlue is present.

Several websites, including at least one New Zealand-based site, offer the cheat for about $160 each.

Another online seller advertised the cheat boxes as being quickly and easily installed and removed from trucks.

An outspoken transport critic wants the ‘‘shameful’’ emissions cheat kits banned from New Zealand trucks.

Dog and Lemon Guide creator and mechanic Clive MatthewWilson said the Government needs to take ‘‘swift action’’ banning AdBlue-override systems.

‘‘One of the only things stopping newer diesels from spewing out pollutants is the AdBlue additive . The government needs to take swift action.’’

The AdBlue exhaust additive eliminates harmful truck nitrous oxide emissions.

A Ministry of Transport spokesman said the ministry has concerns following a study that concluded emissions tampering is ‘‘almost certainly occurring’’.

In 2012, an Auckland Council report blamed air pollution for at least 200 premature deaths in Auckland alone while another report found country-wide, about 1100 premature deaths a year can be blamed on man-made air pollution.

The Health and Air Pollution in New Zealand Study found that vehicle emissions are the largest contributor to poor air quality.

Nitrous oxide diesel emissions are blamed for increased asthma and smog, according to the World Health Organisation.

The US Environmental Protection Agency has also linked breathing nitrous oxide particles to respiratory diseases such as emphysema and bronchitis, and the aggravating of existing heart disease. It's a public health issue. We expect our members to be compliant with the law.

New Zealand currently has no vehicle emissions testing regime and depends on requiring trucks imported to meet stringent overseas standards.

Commercial Vehicle Inspections Unit head Inspector Bruce O’Brien said because using AdBlue bypass kits wasn’t illegal, police didn’t have any numbers on how were detected during inspections.

Most modern Euro truck engines won’t start without AdBlue, which costs about 50 cents a litre.

Typically trucks need five litres of AdBlue for every 100 litres of diesel.

The Ministry of Transport spokesman said the ministry is consulting with trucking industry groups on strengthening vehicle anti-tampering laws.

Road Transport Forum chief executive Ken Shirley believes the existing Land Transport Act’s intent already makes tampering with exhaust systems illegal.

‘‘It’s a public health issue expect our members to be with the law.’’

Shirley estimates there are more than 115,000 trucks on New Zealand roads, about 25,000 of many truck ... we compliant which fall category.

Motor Truck Distributors, which imports roughly a third of all new trucks, said most heavy freight operators avoid secondhand trucks and purchase new vehicles designed to comply with European emission standards.

Fitting cheat kits would invalidate warranties on new trucks worth hundreds of thousands, general manager Murray Sowerby said.

‘‘We don’t condone any changes to our trucks.’’

But Matthew-Wilson said some truckies find anti-pollution safeguards a nuisance.

‘‘The emissions control systems ... slightly affect fuel economy and power, but they may also cause engine tuning and reliability issues.

‘‘For this reason, many operators simply remove them.’’ into the heavy freight