Cars would emit 10% more than expected under updated CO₂ emission standards proposed by European Commission, according to T&E

On the basis of the updated CO₂ emission standards proposed by the European Commission last December (see EUROPE 13774/13), cars would emit an additional 720 million tonnes of CO₂ between 2025 and 2050, 10% more than under the current regulatory scenario, warns the think-tank Transport & Environment in a study published on Tuesday 3 February.

By weakening the 2035 CO₂ emissions reduction target from 100% to 90%, the proportion of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) should fall by 15% to 85% instead of 100%. However, the proposal also introduces high uncertainty as BEV sales would fall between 50% and 95%, depending on the powertrain mix strategy adopted.

Similarly, the 2030 target would be weakened by a 3 year averaging (2030-2032) of the target with super-credits given to small BEVs made in Europe. This implies a 10 percentage point reduction in BEV share in 2030 from 57% to 47%.

T&E recommends abolishing the fuel crediting system and the 3-year averaging, as these are the most damaging flexibilities. It also recommends improving the design of the low-carbon steel credits and super-credits system to reward actual progress towards low-carbon steel and allocate bonuses to the most affordable models.

To read the study: https://aeur.eu/f/kkj (Original version in French by Anne Damiani)