The European Commission presented the project of a new level of environmental standards “Euro-7”. However, it received a lot of criticism from automakers and automotive industry experts.
From 2015 until today, the Euro-6 norms are in effect. These norms are mandatory for the manufacture and sale of new vehicles in the territory of the European Union. But the Euro-7 implementation project is still “raw” and has received a lot of criticism. In particular, the European Association of Automobile Manufacturers ACEA has criticized the proposal to move to the next level of standards and believes that it could slow down the transition to zero-emission vehicles.
What is offered in the new Euro-7 standard
The “Euro-7” standard, as proposed by the European Commission, should replace the current “Euro-6” standards, which apply to the production and sale of new vehicles in the EU. At the same time, the emission rules for passenger cars and light commercial vehicles and trucks and buses, which were previously separate, are proposed to be combined together.
The goal of the new environmental standard is to reduce the harmful emissions of passenger cars, minibuses, trucks and buses in real traffic conditions and for a much longer period of time than is provided by the current legislation. The new rules are proposed to be set for all types of engines, regardless of the fuel used by the vehicle, i.e. for gasoline, diesel, electric vehicles and cars with alternative fuels.
The Regulation also provides for improved conditions for controlling the amount of emissions into the atmosphere from all new vehicles. They will now be tested in a wider range of conditions that cars encounter across Europe in real-world conditions, including temperatures of up to 45°C or during short journeys typical of the daily commute.
The European Commission’s proposal also for the first time sets emission limits for previously unregulated emissions of harmful substances, such as nitrogen oxide emissions from trucks. That is, the new Euro-7 standard should become the first standard in the world that goes beyond the regulation of vehicle exhaust gas emissions, and sets additional standards for emissions of solid particles from the brake system and emissions of microplastics from tires. At the same time, these rules will apply to all vehicles, including electric vehicles.
The new rules are also designed to regulate the life of batteries installed in cars and minibuses, with the aim of increasing consumer confidence in electric vehicles. The European Commission also believes that this will reduce the need to replace batteries in the early stages of a vehicle’s life, reducing the need for raw materials needed to produce batteries.
In addition, all vehicles will have to comply for a longer period. Yes, passenger cars and light commercial vehicles must meet the standards before they reach 200,000 kilometers and are 10 years old. This is twice the current requirements of the Euro-6 standard (100,000 km mileage and 5 years). Similar rules will also apply to buses and trucks.
In 2035, the Euro-7 standard is expected to reduce total NOx emissions by 35% from passenger cars and minibuses and by 56% from buses and trucks compared to the Euro 6 standard. At the same time, harmful substances from the exhaust gases of cars and small commercial vehicles should reduce by 13%, buses and trucks – by 39%, and particles from the braking system of passenger cars – by 27%.
The Commission’s proposal will now be submitted for review and approval by the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union.
Why are automakers against it?
By 2035, CO2 emissions from new vehicles must be reduced by 100%, i.e. become zero. The European Association of Automobile Manufacturers (ACEA) believes that the new “Euro-7” standards in the version proposed by the European Commission may hinder the achievement of this goal.
Representatives of the Association emphasize that the current Euro-6 standards provide for the most comprehensive and strict emission standards in the world. “The automotive industry takes its role in reducing CO2 and other pollutants very seriously. Last year, we made a very constructive proposal for the new Euro 7 standard, which would lead to a significant reduction in pollutant emissions, thus improving air quality, explained Oliver Zipse, President of ACEA and CEO of BMW. “Unfortunately, the environmental benefits of the Commission’s proposal are very limited, while it significantly increases vehicle manufacturing costs. It focuses on extreme driving conditions that have little to do with real life,” Zipse says.
ACEA emphasizes that the Euro VII proposal is particularly tough for trucks. ‘In order to comply with Euro-7 standards, truck manufacturers will have to reorient significant engineering and financial resources from the production of batteries and fuel cells to internal combustion engines. This will have a major impact on our transition to zero-emission vehicles. It’s bad for the climate, it’s bad for people’s health and it’s bad for the industry,’ said Martin Lundstedt, CEO of the Volvo Group and chairman of the ACEA Commercial Transport Council. ‘Policymakers should focus on measures that accelerate fleet renewal by prioritizing investments in zero-emission vehicles, which will have a much greater impact on both air quality and CO2 reduction,’ Lundstedt said.
According to the Association, the final version of the Euro-7 standard is unlikely to be ready before mid-2024, especially given the long list of additional tests it includes. ACEA believes that the proposed implementation dates of July 2025 for passenger cars and light commercial vehicles and July 2027 for heavy-duty vehicles are unrealistic due to the large number of vehicle models and modifications that need to be pre-developed, designed, tested and updated. Therefore, the Euro-7 standard can be very difficult and expensive, warn car manufacturers.
Experts of the Institute of Car Market Research emphasize that the Euro environmental standards in the European Union primarily concern car manufacturers, as they apply to the import and production of new vehicles, and do not apply to used cars. Thus, the introduction of the new ‘Euro-7’ standards will not have a big impact on the car market of Ukraine, because sales of new cars make up less than 4% of the total number of sales transactions. If new cars become more expensive due to the introduction of ‘Euro-7’, new vehicles will become even less affordable, so their sales will decrease even more.
However, as long as Ukraine is not a member of the European Union, other standards may apply in the country. For example, today Euro-5 applies to the manufacture and import of new cars, which allows you to import cheaper cars from other markets that are not allowed in the EU – for example, China.
