Brussels, 16/04/2015 (Agence Europe) - In good news for the climate, provisional data published by the European Environmental Agency (EEA) on Wednesday 15 April, show that the average level of CO2 emissions by new cars sold in the EU was 2.6% lower than for new cars sold the previous year. Better news still is that the average 123.4 grammes of CO2 per kilometre is substantially lower than the target of 130 g/km set by EU law for 2015 and already achieved in 2013.
Since 2010, when monitoring of emissions began under the European regulation on the reduction of emissions from new private cars, CO2 emissions have decreased by 17gCO2/km, or12 %. Car manufacturers will, nevertheless, have to further reduce emissions to meet the target of 95gCO2/km by 2021, notes the EEA.
Key findings:
12.5 million new cars were registered in 2014, the first overall increase since 2007. Compared to 2013, registrations increased in all EU member states, except Austria, Belgium and the Netherlands;
average emissions levels in 2014 were below 130gCO2/km in 17 of the 28 member states;
significantly more efficient models were bought in the older member states with the Netherlands (107gCO2/km), Greece (108gCO2/km) and Portugal (109gCO2/km) leading the way. The least efficient cars were bought in Estonia (141gCO2/km), Latvia (140gCO2/km) and Bulgaria (136gCO2/km);
the average emission gap between petrol and diesel is currently below 3gCO2/km, around one seventh of the gap in 2000;
around 38,000 electric vehicles were registered in 2014, up by 57% compared to 2013. Nevertheless, electric vehicles continue to constitute only a very small fraction of new registrations (0.3 %). The largest number of registrations was recorded in France (more than 10,700 vehicles), Germany (around 8,500 vehicles) and the UK (around 6,700 vehicles).
These data were collected and published online by the EEA in accordance with Regulation EC/443/2009, “setting emission performance standards for new passenger cars as part of the community's integrated approach to reduce CO2 emissions from light-duty vehicles”. (Aminata Niang)