The European Commission is expected to present a regulation on ‘Euro 7’ emission standards for motor vehicles. It shows a limited level of ambition due to the sluggish economic context and the recent decision to ban the sale of internal combustion vehicles after 2035, according to a draft version obtained by EUROPE on Friday 4 November.
“In the light of the current geopolitical and economic circumstances, a final review has been made to ensure up-to-date considerations for the automotive industry and consumers”, reads the explanatory memorandum to the regulation. The Commission cites rising raw material and energy costs, which have accelerated “dramatically”, and a general decline in demand and sales of motor vehicles.
“This puts an unprecedented pressure on the automotive supply chain and raises affordability issues for consumers, in an overall context of high inflation”, the institution says. Therefore, “in order to facilitate a successful green transition of the automotive ecosystem, the (...) preferred option has been readjusted for light-duty vehicles, while keeping the overall medium environmental and digital ambition”.
As a result, emission limits for cars and vans are set at the level of ‘Euro 6’ limits for petrol cars. However, the number of pollutants considered has been slightly extended, including ammonia (NH3).
Thus, the Commission recognises that this is a mid-way option between a first option (option 1), of “low ambition”, which would only simplify the regulatory framework without touching emission standards, and two other options (option 2a and 3a), of “medium ambition”, which, in addition to a general simplification, would introduce stricter emission standards.
“This choice has been made in order to improve affordability of cars and vans for consumers and minimise investment costs required for the development of new hardware solutions for emission control systems for cars and vans with internal combustion engine, taking into account that they will no longer be put in the EU market after 2035”, explains the European institution.
Several new aspects
However, several improvements and new aspects have been introduced. These include the introduction of a ‘Euro 7+’ standard for vehicles that meet emission limits at least 10% lower than those set out in the annexes to the regulation (Annex I) or have a battery life at least 10% longer than that set out in the text (Annex II).
Another important point is that the European Commission has extended the period for which a vehicle must comply with emission standards to 8 years (compared with 5 years at present). Finally, one article of the regulation is dedicated to geofencing technology, which allows a hybrid vehicle to switch to a “zero emission” mode, i.e. without using the combustion engine, in low emission areas.
A modest ambition
Despite these improvements and innovations, the European Commission’s overall level of ambition remains low, according to a source close to the matter.
The argument that too great a burden should not be placed on the automotive industry because of the phasing out of the internal combustion engine by 2035 (see EUROPE 13053/1) would not be acceptable, according to the source. Vehicles sold in 2035 will still be on the road in 2050, they said.
Furthermore, setting a “durability” of 8 years is a good thing, but the average life of a vehicle is currently 12 years, they added. In addition, the proposal to introduce a ‘Euro 7+’ standard would pose a risk of greenwashing, they warned.
Geofencing technology is not a panacea either, they say: this technology would generate large amounts of particulate emissions when switching back from zero-emission mode to petrol.
The European Commission will present its text on Wednesday 9 November, according to the latest agenda of the college meeting.
To read the draft ‘Euro 7’ regulation: https://aeur.eu/f/3x6
To consult the provisional annexes of the regulation: https://aeur.eu/f/3x8 (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)