STRASBOURG (dpa-AFX) – Cars, buses and other vehicles in the EU should comply with stricter pollutant limits in the future. On Wednesday in Strasbourg, the EU Parliament voted with a majority in favor of the new Euro 7 pollutant standard. This will also introduce limit values for brake and tire wear for the first time. The new rules are intended to regulate pollutants caused by vehicles more strictly than before.
According to Parliament, in the future substances harmful to health such as: particulate matter, which occurs due to wear from tires or brakes, is regulated more strictly. The regulations will therefore also apply to electric cars and hydrogen vehicles. According to Parliament, minimum requirements for the lifespan of the batteries of electric and hybrid vehicles are also planned.
The revision of the limit values is based on a proposal from the EU Commission from 2022, which, however, was significantly weakened by parliament and the federal states with a view to exhaust emissions from cars. The rules proposed by the Brussels authority had not met with widespread approval from either the European Parliament or the EU countries.
The new rules also stipulate that each vehicle will be equipped with an environmental passport containing information such as fuel and electricity consumption or battery life, according to the relevant communication from Parliament. The current information should be made available to drivers via the on-board electronics in the vehicle./svv/DP/jha