EU emissions cuts cement EV future

The European Union could have accelerated the age of the electric car after a critical emissions vote overnight.

Along the way, it has also set the stage for a monumental fight with the German Government after a plenary vote today to slash 2030 carbon dioxide emissions by 40 per cent.

And if the EU wins that fight, the world can expect a flood of battery-electric vehicles (BEVs), range-extender EVs (REXs), plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) and even fuel-cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) onto the world’s car markets.

The union’s 2020-21 upcoming EU7 emissions laws (along with China’s ever-increasing EV quotas) were the catalyst that finally sparked Jaguar, Land Rover, Porsche, Volkswagen, Audi, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Volvo, PSA and Renault to jump into EVs.

Yet in the face of automotive lobby group pressure, the members of the European Parliament (MEPs) backed a 20 per cent reduction in van, car and SUV emissions by 2025 and a 40 per cent cut by 2030.

The executive European Commission’s draft law, by contrast, is more conservative, proposing reductions of only 15 per cent by 2025 and 30 per cent by 2030, so today’s vote essentially locks down the MEPs’ negotiating positions to take to the member states.

At least a part of the MEP vote in the face of intense lobbying from the European Automobile Manufacturer’s Association (ACEA) was seen as a raised finger to carmakers crying foul after Dieselgate and the subsequent thermal-switching scandals surrounding PSA, Renault, Mercedes-Benz and Opel.

“Auto manufacturers and certain governments have not learned their lessons from the Dieselgate scandal,” the Chair of the EU’s Transport Committee, Karima Delli, said.

While France was demanding a higher CO2 reduction, Germany has already said would agree to the EC’s easier proposals, not the EU’s. That led peak non-governmental lobby group, Transport & Environment, to accuse Germany of holding “an entire continent to ransom over its failed diesel strategy”.

Europe’s peak car-making body, the ACEA slated the vote, saying it raised serious concerns that the EU was forcing a move to electrified cars before the infrastructure could handle it.

“Consumers cannot be forced to buy electric cars, without the necessary infrastructure or incentives in place,” ACEA secretary general Erik Jonnaert insisted.

“We remain particularly concerned about the extremely aggressive CO2 reduction targets and the imposition of sales quotas for battery electric vehicles that MEPs have backed.

“Today’s vote risks having a very negative impact on jobs across the automotive value chain. It would essentially force the industry into a dramatic transformation in record time,” Jonnaert said.

“There is no guarantee that we have the right enabling framework in place to facilitate this sudden transition to electromobility. Currently recharging infrastructure is severely lacking, and consumer incentives to purchase the more expensive electric vehicles remain un-harmonized across the EU,” he sated.

In spite of the ACEA claiming there was a “very tight majority on some issues”, the parliament approved the targets – far more stringent than those suggested by the European Commission – by 389 votes to 239.

The vote also included a credit system to encourage EV sales, penalties for exceeding CO2 limits and adding EV and low-emission sales into a carmaker’s range to lower emissions on new car sales.

Yet even the approved EU CO2 reduction wasn’t enough for its own Environment Committee, which had urged a 45 per cent reduction by 2030.

The 28 EU member states are expected to finalize their position in law at the Environment Council on October 9, with non-Government lobby group, Transport & Environment, expects at least 19 countries to reaffirm the move.

“A clear majority of EU governments supports Parliament’s decision to accelerate the transition to clean and electric mobility,” Transport & Environment’s Clean Vehicles Manager Julia Poliscanova insisted.

“Only Germany, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria oppose higher ambition.

“We shouldn’t allow Germany to hold an entire continent to ransom over its failed diesel strategy. Ministers should approve Parliament’s decision next Tuesday,” she commented.

The MEPs also voted to reduce real-world emissions check on cars and vans to stop car-makers from cheating the tests or even just gaming system loopholes.

“Despite an unprecedented lobby effort by the oil and car industries, the European Parliament has voted decisively to require car-makers to make their cars cleaner and sell more electric and hydrogen vehicles,” Poliscanova said.

“This vote is good news for the climate, for jobs in Europe and for the millions of Europeans who will start to enjoy cleaner air in their cities," she said.

The next approved step in the EU’s emissions laws, which cut in from 2020-21, mandates a Europe-wide fleet average CO2 emission figure of 95 grams/km.

This requirement has already forced the introduction of EVs like Jaguar’s I-Pace, Audi’s e-tron, Mercedes-Benz’s EQC, Volkswagen’s e-Golf, e-Up and ID and Porsche’s Taycan.