Author: Sam Morgan and Zoran Radosavljevic
Posted on: Euractiv | 7th November, 2017
The European Commission will unveil a package of legislation regulating environmental aspects of transport on Wednesday (8 November), amid concerns from NGOs and some MEPs that it may lack ambition in setting targets for the car industry.
The main focus of the Clean Mobility package is the further reduction of CO2 emissions in transport, mainly for cars and trucks, as the sector is responsible for a quarter of all greenhouse gas emissions.
This in turn should also encourage the roll-out of electric vehicles – an area where the bloc already seems to be lagging behind China and the United States.
Transport & Environment, a sustainable transport group, said there are three main contentious elements to the regulatory proposal: the overall level of ambition; whether to include a mandate for sales of zero-emissions vehicles; and the introduction of a real-world test for measuring CO2 emissions.
“If Vice-President [Maroš] Šefčovič and Commissioner [Miguel Arias] Cañete are serious about lowering CO2 emissions from transport, they should propose a 45% cut in new car emissions (2020-30) and a mandatory target for zero-emissions vehicles. Anything less and their claims of Europe being a climate leader at this week’s COP are as fake as the carmakers test results,” T&E’s Greg Archer said.
But EURACTIV.com understands that the proposal will not contain mandatory quotas of zero-emissions vehicles and will instead leave it up to member states to drive sales.
Bas Eickhout, a Dutch MEP for the Greens/EFA, told reporters it was extremely important “to get it right” in terms of setting significant reduction targets for CO2 emissions.
“But will the Commission get it right? What we hear is they won’t get it right,” he said and went on to explain that the Greens wanted to see a reduction of 60% from the 2020 level of 95 g/km, but the Commission was considering a 35-40% decrease instead.
“The German car industry seems to be the big winner after Wednesday, though not in the long run. If we have learned one lesson from Dieselgate, it’s that if we are too weak in driving innovation, others outside Europe will do it and we will only import”.
He referred to last-minute lobbying by German auto lobby group VDA, whose head spoke to top people in the Commission last week.
Consumer choice: electric vs combustion
BEUC, a Brussels-based European consumer organisation, said the Commission should aim for new CO2 targets of 75g CO2 per/km for new car sales for 2025 and 50g CO2 per km by 2030.
“The EU is on the cusp of deciding what lane the automotive sector takes for the next decade,” BEUC Director General Monique Goyens said.
“Electric vehicles are expected to be cheaper than conventional cars in the 2020s, which is why ambition is needed to speed up their roll-out. This must take the form of robust EU CO2 emissions standards that will cut emissions and the cost of driving for consumers.”
EV cost is now touted as a more significant factor in the decision to switch from traditional combustion engines than range between charges, as battery technology and charging infrastructure become more advanced and widespread.
British price comparison website Money Supermarket recently put together this infographic that shows how petrol, diesel and electric cars compare over the course of six years.
Consumer choice: electric vs combustion
BEUC, a Brussels-based European consumer organisation, said the Commission should aim for new CO2 targets of 75g CO2 per/km for new car sales for 2025 and 50g CO2 per km by 2030.
“The EU is on the cusp of deciding what lane the automotive sector takes for the next decade,” BEUC Director General Monique Goyens said.
“Electric vehicles are expected to be cheaper than conventional cars in the 2020s, which is why ambition is needed to speed up their roll-out. This must take the form of robust EU CO2 emissions standards that will cut emissions and the cost of driving for consumers.”
EV cost is now touted as a more significant factor in the decision to switch from traditional combustion engines than range between charges, as battery technology and charging infrastructure become more advanced and widespread.
British price comparison website Money Supermarket recently put together this infographic that shows how petrol, diesel and electric cars compare over the course of six years.
the SAFIA Blog 