International Council on Clean Transportation


The International Council on Clean Transportation is an independent nonprofit organization incorporated under Section 501 of the US tax code. It provides technical and scientific analysis to environmental regulators. It is funded by the ClimateWorks Foundation, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the Energy Foundation, and the David and Lucile Packard Foundation.

Volkswagen emissions scandal

The ICCT commissioned researchers at West Virginia University to test Volkswagen diesel car emissions in 2013. In May 2014, ICCT alerted the US EPA and the California Air Resources Board that the models displayed much higher levels of nitrogen oxide emissions than permitted by law. In September 2015, the EPA said Volkswagen could be liable for up to $18 billion in penalties for using software on almost 500,000 VW and Audi diesel cars sold between 2009 and 2015 that circumvented emissions regulations, unleashing a controversy that led to multiple regulatory probes worldwide.
In 2015 an ADAC study of 32 Euro6 cars showed that few complied with on-road emission limits. In 2016 ICCT measured 19 new cars and found that real emissions were 40% higher than they were approved with, primarily due to the lax methods of NEDC-testing.