EC announces €5m for clean engines
The European Commission has announced two new Horizon 2020 prizes to support the development of clean engines which will reduce air pollution.
Horizon 2020 will allocate a €1.5m prize for the development of new devices that can be applied to existing diesel engines in order to reduce the pollutants that they emit, and a separate €3.5m prize for the development of a new clean engine which uses conventional fuels.
Carlos Moedas, European commissioner for research, science and innovation, said that he hoped the new investment would inspire scientists to tackle climate issues: “Prizes are a great way of rewarding and stimulating innovation, and clean engine technology is something we must support if we want to achieve our ambitious climate, energy and air quality goals. So today we’re launching two Horizon prizes worth a combined €5m to generate momentum and investment in cleaner engine technologies.”
Emissions from diesel engines cause many serious health issues in Europe. The European Environment Agency lists air pollution as the top environmental risk factor of premature death on the continent, and the European Commission has said that reducing such emissions is a priority in meeting its climate change targets. Current diesel engines must be tested to ensure that they reach EU standards, but emissions results in tests can vary greatly when compared to on-road driving, and so cleaner engines and retrofit devices are crucial in reducing pollution from emissions.
