The European Commission has proposed a new emissions standard that will require all new road vehicles to meet stricter pollution reduction requirements, including lower brake and tire emissions, including from electric vehicles.
The goal of having cleaner vehicles is separate from the CO2 reduction targets that are part of the EU’s mission to be net carbon by 2050.
By 2035, all cars and vans sold in the EU will have zero CO2 emissions.
However, the Commission says that by 2050 more than 20% of cars and vans, and more than half of heavier vehicles, will still emit pollutants from their tailpipes, while electric vehicles will continue to pollute brakes and microplastics from tires
EU Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton said so-called Euro 7 standards would ensure cleaner vehicles and better air quality as the EU continues to pursue its zero-pollution European Green Deal ambitions.
The new standards would expand the range of driving conditions covered by on-road emissions tests to better reflect the range of conditions vehicles experience, including temperatures as high as 45C or short trips typical of daily commuters.
Particulate matter limits will be lowered for trucks and buses, while the existing lower limits for cars and vans will apply regardless of the fuel used by the vehicle.
The new rules will also set emission limits for pollutants that were previously unregulated, such as nitrous oxide emissions from heavy-duty vehicles.
The Commission says the new Euro 7 standards will be the first emissions standards worldwide that go beyond regulating tailpipe emissions.
Under the new rules, all vehicles will have to comply with the rules for a longer period than now.
For passenger cars and vans, compliance will be verified until these vehicles reach 200,000 km and are ten years old, which means doubling the durability requirements of current regulations.
The Commission said the new rules will regulate the lifespan of car batteries to increase consumer confidence in electric vehicles and reduce the need to replace batteries early in a vehicle’s life.
The proposals will need the support of the Member States and the European Parliament.
On October 27, MEPs decided to set a zero-emission sales mandate for new cars by 2035, meaning that all new vehicles sold from then on must be electric.
However, Thierry Breton insisted on an emergency brake overhaul clause in 2026, given the scale of the turmoil the European auto industry would face in phasing out the combustion engine by 2035.
The European car industry has criticized the current stricter limits for pollutants.
Oliver Zipse, President of the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA), said: “The environmental benefit of the Commission’s proposal is very limited, whereas it heavily increases the cost of vehicles. It focuses on extreme driving conditions that have hardly any real-life relevance,” reports RTE.
The industry has also criticized the new standards for heavier commercial vehicles, known as Euro VII.
Martin Lundstedt, the chief executive of Volvo Group, said: “Truck makers will have to move substantial engineering and financial resources from battery and fuel-cell electric vehicles back to the internal combustion engine. This will severely impact our transition to zero-emission vehicles. It is not good for the climate, not good for people’s health and not good for the industry,” reported RTE.
According to RTE, Green MEP and vice chair of the environment committee Bas Eickhout said: “After making Europe’s citizens and industries wait with baited breath for almost two years, the Commission has presented a so-called update to emissions standards, which disregards its own experts and environmental goals. With these lax rules, the Commission risks driving 100M highly polluting cars onto Europe’s streets.”