European emissions tumble

Europe’s association of car-makers has warned that the next wave of emission reduction measures will cost a lot more than the last wave, even as the continent’s cars have been confirmed as the world’s cleanest.

Emissions from European cars and light commercial vehicles have been slashed by more than 30 per cent since 1995, Europe’s peak environmental body confirmed yesterday.

The European Environment Agency announced that the average new car passenger car emitted just 127g/km of CO2 in 2013, making it the world’s cleanest-driving continent.

The reduction means the European car industry has over-delivered on its 130g/km target two years earlier than the European Union’s mandated 2015 target date.

The Agency’s report summary showed those emissions had fallen 31.7 per cent from 186g/km in 1995, thanks to long-term commitments by the car industry, which began with legislation but continued through competition.

The Secretary General of the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association, Erik Jonnaert, said the reductions had real benefits, but had cost car-makers billions of euros and more was to follow.

“The most cost-effective actions have already been taken, delivering on that aim (even lower emissions) requires even greater technical investments to achieve lesser reductions,” Jonnaert warned.

The EU has introduced legislation demanding a fleet average of 95g/km CO2 emissions by 2020, with a further lowering of the emissions target in 2025 to be tabled in 2015.

“It should be noted that the legislation sets targets which become effective from one day to the next. Obviously, manufacturers have to start the process of reaching the targets well in advance and this means that, by the nature of the legislation, a certain degree of over-achievement is necessary en-route to meeting the targets,” he said.

“Thanks to huge efforts by European automobile manufacturers and billions of euros worth of investment in R&D, Europe’s passenger cars and light commercial vehicles are the cleanest in the world,” Jonnaert said.

“It is clear that CO2 emissions from passengers cars and light commercial vehicles need to continue on their downward trend, and the industry is committed to this.”

The targets are based around the New European Driving Cycle (NEDC), which the EU plans to revise “at the earliest opportunity” to deliver a more realistic emissions figure.

While European car-makers building less than 1000 cars a year are exempt from the targets, that figure is too low to give a free pass to traditional supercar makers like Ferrari, Lamborghini and Aston Martin, but does benefit even smaller operations, such as Donkervoort and Pagani.

The EU succumbed to German pressure to allow for so-called Super Credits for bigger car-makers to allow for sports cars and larger-engined luxury cars in its future emissions plans.

Any hybrid or electric car emitting fewer than 50g/km will count as two cars in 2020 to help lower the fleet averages, and this will be cut to 1.67 cars in 2021 and 1.33 cars in 2022, before reverting back to a one-for-one system in 2023.