Ahead of the Commission’s presentation, expected on 8 November, of its proposals on revision of standards for emissions from new cars and vans until 2030, questions about its level of ambition and expectations of ambitious proposals, in terms both the climate and the competitiveness of the European motor car industry, abound.
Transport & Environment (T&E), an NGO that campaigns for sustainable transport, called on Monday 30 October for reductions of at least 45% in CO2 emissions from cars and 40% from vans by 2030, with binding intermediate targets by 2025, arguing that only with a level of ambition as high as this will it be possible to comply with the Paris climate agreement.
The new standards “will be crucial in driving innovation and investment in clean vehicles in Europe”, stated European Climate Action Commissioner Miguel Arias Cañete at the European Electric Vehicle Congress (see EUROPE 11892 and 11861). According to T&E, what will determine the future of the European car industry is the choice of whether or not to push for zero emission vehicles and whether or not to set a 2025 target.
T&E fears that the Commission may only propose a 30% reduction by 2030, in line with the legislative objective approved by the member states in the proposal on effort-sharing among member states in non-ETS sectors (see EUROPE 11883), which would be far too low.
A study recently published by T&E shows that, with no intermediate target for 2025, cumulative emissions reductions by 2030 would be halved and would compromise achievement at the lowest cost of the effort-sharing objectives. On the other hand, a 45% emissions reduction for cars and a 40% reduction for vans by 2030, with binding targets for 2025, would allow the member states to achieve their national targets in non-ETS sectors and the EU to achieve its collective target of a reduction of at least 40% in its emissions by 2030 in line with the Paris Agreement.
Taking the major European carmakers, which announced that some 20% of cars sold in the EU by 2025 will be zero-emission or very low emission vehicles, at their word, T&E believes that a 45% emissions reduction is within reach if slight improvements were also made to cars equipped with combustion engines.
“It is increasingly clear that, if Europe wants to keep a strong automotive industry, our carmakers must change. The rest of the world is no longer interested in Europe’s diesel technology. China and India are going all-electric. EU carmakers have understood this and are already investing billions in manufacturing plants in Asia. If we want to secure future jobs and supply chains we need to secure investment in Europe, not in Asia. Ambitious CO2 targets – for 2025 and 2030 – coupled with a mandate for zero-emission vehicles would create exactly the right framework for this to happen”, The NGO states.
Close to 150 European institutional investors recently called for ambitious standards, not only for 2030 but also for 2050, compatible with Paris Agreement targets (see EUROPE 11878).
The European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA) has proposed a 20% reduction target for car emissions by 2030, compared with 2021, conditional on developments in electrical loads and infrastructure needed for the expansion of new generation cars and review of the target in 2025 (see EUROPE 11863).
For the moment, the regulatory objectives in force in the EU for reducing CO2 emissions from newly registered private cars and light utility vehicles are 95 g/km by 2020 for cars and 147 g/km for vans – targets that were confirmed in 2014. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)