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Emission performance standards for new passenger cars

2007/0297(COD)

On 7 February 2007, the Commission adopted a Communication outlining a comprehensive new strategy to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from new cars and vans sold in the European Union. Subsequently, Article 13 of Regulation (EC) 443/2009 requires the Commission to submit to the European Parliament and Council a report reviewing the progress made towards implementation of the Community’s integrated approach to reducing CO2 emissions from light-duty vehicles.

The present report provides a final evaluation of the pre-2007 strategy and reviews the progress made towards the different elements of the 2007 strategy.

Pre-2007 Strategy: before 2007, the Community's strategy was based on three pillars, as outlined by the Commission in its Communication of 1995 and subsequently supported by the Council and European Parliament. This structure allowed for the combination of measures addressing both supply (voluntary commitments) and demand (labelling and taxation). The pre-2007 strategy focused on targets for 2008 and 2009 and the data for these years have only recently become available. The statistics and monitoring data described in the following text show, as expected in the preparation of the 2007 Strategy, that the objectives of the pre 2007 strategy were only partly achieved.

2007 Strategy: the 2007 strategy aimed at reaching the Community objective of an equivalent of 120 gCO2/km by 2012 through a legislative framework addressing supply oriented measures. While we have observed significant decreases in the average CO2 emissions from new passenger cars, especially in 2008 and 2009, the 2012 goal of the Strategy is unlikely to be achieved. It is clear that the 2009 reductions of CO2 emissions are in part due to the economic crisis as well as the deployment of new technologies by vehicle manufacturers, and there is no guarantee that this year's strong decrease will continue once the economy recovers.

Moreover, the timeline of the Strategy was amended by the European Parliament and the Council during the co-decision process to adopt Regulation (EC) No 443/2009 by shifting the date of full entry into force of the Regulation to 2015, and including a 2020 target. The timeline going beyond 2012 is also set for other measures implementing the Strategy.

The Commission expects that the targets for 2012-2015 specified in Regulation (EC) No 443/2009 will be achieved and that the average specific CO2 emissions from the new light-duty fleet will fall substantially by 2015 due to the regulatory measures announced in the Strategy.

In summary, despite a low probability of achieving the 2012 target, the Strategy and its implementing measures have played an important role in driving decrease of CO2 emissions from light-duty vehicles.

As regards the progress of implementation of the Strategy to reduce CO2 from light-duty vehicles, the following may be noted:

  • to reach an objective of 130 gCO2/km for the average new car fleet by means of improvements in vehicle motor technology;
  • the compulsory fitting of accurate tyre pressure monitoring systems;
  • setting maximum tyre rolling resistance limits in the EU for tyres fitted on passenger cars and light commercial vehicles;
  • the use of gear shift indicators, taking into account the extent to which such devices are used by consumers in real driving conditions;
  • increased use of biofuels maximizing environmental performance.

Progress is also being made in the following areas:

  • setting minimum efficiency requirements for air-conditioning systems;
  • fuel efficiency progress in light-commercial vehicles (vans) with the objective of reaching 175 gCO2/km by 2012 and 160 gCO2/km by 2015.

Limited progress have been made in the areas of tax, consumer information and ecodriving.

Mid-term action: the specific actions linked to the scope of the Strategy foreseen by the Commission in the timeline 2010-2020 include:

  • a review of modalities of reaching the 2020 target of 95 gCO2/km set out in the cars legislation, and possibly modalities of the long-term target as proposed in the draft regulation on CO2 from light commercial vehicles;
  • the proposal of  a new test-cycle to reflect more accurately the real world driving conditions as well as the specific CO2 emissions and fuel consumption related to it;
  • the plan to look into the possibility of measurement and certifications of CO2 emissions from heavy duty vehicles;
  • the implementation of efficiency standards for new heavy duty vehicles;
  • the Commission developing its life cycle analysis of energy use in vehicles. It will consider whether this well to wheel approach can be integrated in long term targets for vehicles.

Long-term vision: to improve planning certainty for the automotive sector while ensuring that CO2 reductions from light-duty vehicles continue to take place, the Commission considers, based on a thorough impact assessment, to also propose a target for passenger car emissions to be reached by 2025. Among other options, the Commission will assess the feasibility of the target suggested by the European Parliament of reaching 70 gCO2/km by 2025 as indicated in its Resolution of 24 October 2007 on the Community Strategy to reduce CO2 emissions from passenger cars and light-commercial vehicles. Further reduction steps shall also be considered for light commercial vehicles. The consideration of long term targets beyond 2020 will have to take into account the possible market penetration of alternative energy, especially electricity.