The countries of the European Union (EU) are strengthening measures to accelerate decarbonization and energy transition, with the aim of reducing emissions and greenhouse gases.
In this regard, the EU Council published a new resolution establishing stricter CO2 emission performance standards for new cars and vans to be sold in the coming years.
The new rules aim to reduce emissions from road transport, and provide the right impetus for the automotive industry to shift towards sustainable mobility.
Keys to Regulation
In the legislation, the European bloc seeks CO2 emission reductions of 55% for new cars and 50% for new vans from 2030 to 2034 compared to 2021 levels.
They also propose a 100% reduction in CO2 emissions for new vans from 2035.
According to Romina Pourmokhtari, Swedish Minister for Climate and Environment, the new rules will bring opportunities for cutting-edge technologies and create the impetus for industry to invest in a fossil fuel-free future.
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Promotion Policies
The EU reported that they will activate a regulatory incentive mechanism for zero- and low-emission vehicles (ZLEV), which will take effect from 2025 until the end of 2029.
As part of this program, if a manufacturer meets certain benchmarks for sales of zero- and low-emission vehicles it can be rewarded with less stringent CO2 targets.
The regulation contains a reference to e-fuels, whereby, after consultation with stakeholders, the Commission will come forward with a proposal to register vehicles running exclusively on CO2-neutral fuels after 2035 in accordance with EU legislation, outside the scope of the fleet standards, and in line with the bloc’s climate neutrality objective.
Other Provisions
In addition, the regulation provides for gradually reducing the cap on emission credits that manufacturers can receive for eco-innovations that verifiably reduce CO2 emissions on the road, to a maximum of 4 g/km per year from 2030 to the end of 2034 (currently set at 7 g/km per year).
It includes a common EU methodology, to be developed by the Commission by 2025, for assessing the full life-cycle CO2 emissions of cars and vans placed on the EU market, as well as the fuels and energy consumed by these vehicles.
It should be noted that the regulation maintains a derogation for small volume manufacturers until the end of 2035.
