Brussels, 19/05/2016 (Agence Europe) - Vans newly registered in the EU in 2015 emitted 168.2g CO2/km which is 0.9g less than in 2014 - the smallest annual reduction in recent years, according to preliminary data published by the European Environment Agency (EEA) on Tuesday 17 May.
Despite this slow-down, emissions are well below the 2017 target of 175g CO2/km set in EU legislation and achieved in 2013.
The EU regulation setting out arrangements for reaching the 2020 target for the reduction of CO2 emissions from new light commercial vehicles (Regulation 253/2014 amending regulation 510/2011) states that the average target for the fleet of vans weighing more than 2.610 tonnes unladen weight and 3.5 tonnes laden weight should be fixed at 175g/km from 2017 and 147g/km from 2020.
The report shows that the fuel efficiency of new vans registered in the EU increased slightly in 2015 compared to the previous year, with wide variations across member states due to the different models and sizes of vehicles sold in each country.
The lowest emissions levels were in Portugal (141.7g CO2/km), Cyprus (143.2g CO2/km) and Bulgaria (143.9g CO2/km) and highest in Slovakia (186.6g CO2/km), Germany (186.4g CO2/km) and the Czech Republic (182.6g CO2/km).
The average weight of vans sold also varied across countries. Smaller vehicles were sold in Malta, Bulgaria and Portugal (less than 1.585t) and larger vehicles (over 1.940t) in Poland, Finland and Slovakia.
Last year, only 10,250 electric and plug-in hybrid vans were sold, representing 0.7% of the total EU van sales. Diesel vehicles continued to make up the vast majority of the new van fleet, constituting 97% of sales.
The EEA preliminary report is based on data provided by the member states. Emissions were measured using the laboratory test procedure (NEDC). This procedure is now considered outdated and will shortly be replaced by the WLTP which better reflects real driving conditions.
The EEA will publish the final data on manufacturers' individual performances in the autumn. Manufacturers now have three months to verify the preliminary data and notify errors to the European Commission, the EEA states. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)