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Devastating consequences due to Adblue deficiency

The agent Adblue ensures that nitrogen oxides are rendered harmless in a new diesel engine. But now this agent is in short supply, which can have devastating consequences for traffic and transport.

The EU itself had stipulated that a diesel engine may no longer be started as soon as the agent Adblue is no longer sufficiently available in the container provided for it. In a survey, 40 percent of bus companies now said they would have to withdraw vehicles from service because of the lack of Adblue, and more than 30 percent said they expected financial losses. What is explosive about this is that more than half of the transport companies surveyed are active in local public transport. In a city, the loss of buses can perhaps be compensated for by other means of transport, but in the countryside, a missing bus means the complete disconnection of an area that can then only be reached by car.

The Federal Association of Freight Transport, Logistics and Disposal (BGL) has determined that the shortage has actually already occurred in seven percent of cases. That is why the association has now ensured that at least a basic supply is guaranteed for its members, because the shortage is expected to last until spring 2022.

In order to be prepared for a supply bottleneck the next time, associations advocate an emergency reserve, as is the case for petroleum. The price of Adblue has doubled in recent weeks and is now becoming a cost factor, especially for haulage, logistics and transport companies. Of course, this is partly due to the high prices for the raw material gas, which have increased fivefold. Hydrogen is dissolved from the natural gas, which in turn is used to produce ammonia for fertilisers and Adblue.

One must not forget that about 70 percent of transport in Germany is provided by trucks. Despite new developments on the electric market, this will not change for the next few years. Unfortunately, there are not yet enough e-vehicles with fuel cells that can completely take over the many tasks of diesel trucks and buses.

But it is not only for delivery traffic and local public transport that the lack of the blue vehicle has far-reaching consequences. Air pollution also increases massively if exhaust gases are not cleaned as prescribed. Adblue is now an important factor for clean air.