The European Parliament approves the ban on internal combustion engine cars, but in 2026 the extension until 2040 can be discussed: in the meantime, the Commission has the new legislation on emissions as a parachute
February 15th
The attitude can be proactive or submissive, but the revolution is still underway and travels on a double track. Mobility in Europe will be regulated by the two pillars of Euro 7 and the Fit for 55 plan, the first intended to regulate polluting emissions in a broad sense from 2025, the second to zero CO2 emissions, with the consequent ban on the sale of cars with internal combustion engines by 2035. The intentions of the Community institutions, as has now become clear in recent months, are two instruments designed one to serve or even replace the other. However, it is right to consider how the strategy desired in Brussels is political before technical, therefore it can still hold many surprises.
emergency exit
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Officially, the Fit for 55 plan was presented on 14 July 2021 by the Commission, while on 28 October it also obtained the consent of the European Parliament and the Council, then on 14 February 2023 the final approval by the Strasbourg assembly . A path that seems clear-cut, but is not. There is in fact a fundamental passage that is added to the original text, which dates back to 29 June 2022 and tells how tough the debate was at that meeting of the Council of Environment Ministers of the EU countries. Compared to the forced march towards electricity “without ifs and buts”, a fundamental clause was introduced on 29 June to interpret the years ahead: “By December 2026, the Commission will monitor the gap between the emission limit values and the actual data on fuel and energy consumption”. Going beyond the vague terms used, the substance lies in the obligation for the Commission to evaluate the progress made towards achieving the 100% reduction in emissions, but above all the need to review these objectives with a “Review Stage” which cannot take into account delays in the construction of an electric recharging network, as well as the social impact of the energy transition on the automotive and component industries. The formal commitment remains, for now, to bind Europe to intermediate objectives for the reduction of CO2 emissions for 2030, with a 55% cut for cars and 50% for vans compared to the parameters valid in 2021 On the other hand, the fate of the final horizon of 2035 is more nuanced, with that zeroing of CO2 emissions which means the total ban on cars and light commercial vehicles with combustion engines. In fact, if the “Review Stage” is set for 2026, let us remember that the next European elections are scheduled for 2024 and therefore there is the concrete possibility of a total redefinition of political priorities for Parliament and the Commission.
the parachute
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It is now legitimate to speak of an extension even in those same Community institutions that have not yet given the last and formal go-ahead to the Fit for 55 plan, foreseen at that meeting of the European Council in March which some are already announcing as very laborious. In the meantime, on a still unlit table there is already the working hypothesis of a stop to the sale of petrol and diesel cars that goes beyond 2035, i.e. to 2040, because the rule now exists that Brussels has conceived precisely as a parachute for any delays. We are naturally speaking of Euro 7, as released on 10 November from the Commission proposal and now destined for the vote of the European Parliament and the Council, in view of its final adoption, with entry into force starting from 2025. Euro 7, we must remember, it is a complementary tool to Fit for 55, which supports it with general objectives for the reduction of polluting emissions. Compared to Euro 6, the expectation is to achieve a 35% reduction in NOx nitrogen oxide emissions, thus bringing the limit to 60 mg/km, unchanged for petrol cars but significantly lower for diesels, now at 80 mg/km. The 35% cut also applies to vans, while a 56% reduction is required for heavy vehicles. The proposal also regulates the smallest ultra-fine particles produced by brakes and batteries, expected to drop by 27%. The reduction of particulate matter from exhausts is expected in the order of 13% from cars and vans, and 39% from buses and trucks. All this with an impact judged to be very strong by the automotive industry with regard to homologation cycles, with driving tests in real and road conditions that promise to be much harder to overcome. Not surprisingly, if the Commission estimates an impact of between 90 and 150 euros on car costs, many insiders have a rather different opinion, with figures of up to 2,000 euros per car according to accredited funds.
February 15, 2023 – 11:16 am
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