EC Advances Legislation on CO2 Emissions from New Cars
December 19, 2008 // Published as a news service by IHS
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New legislation setting CO2 emissions standards for new passenger cars is part of the European Commission (EC) climate and energy package, which was accepted by the European Parliament on Dec. 17, after revisions to the EC's original proposal were made.
Passenger cars account for about 12% of all CO2 emissions in the European Union (EU) and are a key contributor to greenhouse gas emissions in the sector that is not part of the EU's Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS).
The EU's strategy on automobile CO2 emissions from 1995 established an objective for average CO2 emissions for new cars sold in the EU of 120 grams per kilometer in 2012.
However, the EC maintains that voluntary commitments by industry have failed, creating the present need for tougher legislation to achieve this target.
Key elements of the proposed new legislation include:
- Volume phase-in - In the period 2012 to 2014, the final compromise proposal provides that targets will be applied to 65%, 75% and 80% of a manufacturer's cars in the years 2012, 2013 and 2014, respectively. This is to allow manufacturers time to adapt their fleet to the new targets.
- Reduced excess emissions premiums - Penalties are assessed as follows: until 2018, €5 per gram for the first one gram of exceedance, €15 for the second gram of exceedance, €25 for the third gram of exceedance and €95 for all subsequent excess emissions. After 2018, all excess emissions will be charged €95 per gram.
- Eco-innovations - The CO2 emissions benefits of some automotive technologies cannot currently be measured under the EU's regulatory test procedures that underpin the regulation. Until the review of the test procedure, each manufacturer will be able to discount up to seven grams per kilometer from its fleet average emissions due to such eco-innovations.
The discount will be made on the basis of an application to the EC, and the emissions reductions will have to be verified.
Ultimately, the system for recognizing eco-innovations will be replaced by a new revised regulatory test procedure that adequately reflects real-world emissions. A review of the test procedure is due by 2014.
- Derogation for certain manufacturers - The EC proposal included a derogation for small-volume manufacturers (less than 10,000 registered cars per year).
An additional derogation for niche manufacturers (responsible for between 10,000 and 300,000 cars per year) has now been introduced. Manufacturers under this derogation will be required to reduce their average fleet emissions by 25% compared to 2007 (or the equivalent for new entrants).
- Flex-fuel vehicles - An additional incentive for flex-fuel vehicles is included for those vehicles that are capable of running on E85 (a mixture of gasoline with 85% ethanol). This provision only applies to cars registered in EU member states where at least 30% of all filling stations offer E85 and only applies until the end of 2015.
- Ultra-low-carbon vehicles - An additional incentive is included in the compromise proposal for very low-emitting vehicles. Each registered vehicle that emits below 50 grams per kilometer of CO2 will obtain "supercredits" - in other words, it will be treated as if it were more than one vehicle for the purpose of calculating a manufacturer's average CO2 level.
The multiplier is 3.5 for the years 2012 and 2013, 2.5 in 2014, 1.5 in 2015, and no multiplier from 2016 onwards.
- Long-term objective for 2020 of 95 grams per kilometer - This objective is subject to a review, by 2013, of the modalities of reaching it (including the slope of the limit value curve and the penalty regime).
Although many of the final amendments weaken the ambitious level of the original EC proposal in the short term, the agreement will still introduce binding targets for the sector and make a significant contribution of about one-third to reducing emissions in the non-ETS sectors.
Source: European Commission.
IHS Information and Insight
This article was published to make you aware of documents available from IHS on the subject.
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- SAE Digital Library - includes technical papers addressing emissions, emissions control systems and emissions testing.
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Top Individual Documents (available online from the IHS Store)
- EU 2006/51/EC - COMMISSION DIRECTIVE amending for the purposes of adapting to technical progress Annex I to Directive 2005/55/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council and Annexes IV and V to Directive 2005/78/EC as regards requirements for the emission control monitoring system for use in vehicles and exemptions for gas engines.
- ASTM D 4814 - Standard Specification for Automotive Spark-Ignition Engine Fuel