Average CO2 emissions from new cars registered in the European Union, Iceland, Norway, and the United Kingdom in 2020 were 107.8 grams of CO2 per kilometre in 2020, a 12% decrease compared to 2019, reveal provisional data published on Tuesday 29 June by the European Environment Agency (EEA).
“This is by far the greatest annual decrease in emissions since CO2 standards started to apply in 2010”, the European Commission said in a statement.
The main reason for this decrease is the significant increase in the share of electric vehicles in new registrations, from around 3.5% to around 11% between 2019 and 2020. The total number of electric cars registered in 2020 reached more than one million per year for the first time, despite a general decline in demand for new cars due to Covid-19.
Vehicle manufacturers now have 3 months to review this provisional data and notify the Commission if they believe there are errors, before the final data is published at the end of October 2021. These will be used by the Commission as a basis for determining whether manufacturers are meeting their emissions targets and whether fines are due if they are exceeded.
On 14 July, the Commission is also expected to present a proposal for a revision of the EU regulation (2019/631) setting CO2 emission standards for cars and vans. While the details of the proposal are not yet known, some are calling on the Commission to set a deadline for the sale of new petrol and diesel cars.
See EEA data: https://bit.ly/3h1KPVF (Original version in French by Damien Genicot)