EU Proposes New Euro 7 Standards to Reduce Pollutant Emissions from Vehicles
The EU Commission has presented a proposal to reduce air pollution from new motor vehicles sold in the EU to meet the European Green Deal’s zero-pollution ambition.
Road transport is the largest source of air pollution in cities. In 2018, more than 39% of NOx and 10% of primary PM2.5 and PM10 emissions in the EU came from road transport. These percentages are much higher in cities, where transport is regularly the main contributor to air pollution. It is estimated that road transport caused about 70,000 premature deaths in the EU-28 in 2018.
The new Euro 7 emission standards will ensure that cars, vans, lorries and buses are much cleaner, in real driving conditions that better reflect the situation in cities where air pollution problems are largest, and for a much longer period than under current rules. The proposal tackles emissions from tailpipes as well as from brakes and tyres. It also contributes to achieving the new stricter air quality standards proposed by the Commission on 26 October 2022.
In 2035, all cars and vans sold in the EU will have zero CO2-emissions. However, in 2050, more than 20% of cars and vans and more than half of the heavier vehicles in the EU are expected to continue to emit pollutants from the tailpipe. Battery electric vehicles also still cause pollution from brakes and microplastics from tyres.
Euro 7 rules will reduce all these emissions and keep vehicles affordable to consumers.
The new requirements based on the Euro 7 standards include:
- Replacement and simplification of previously separate emission rules for cars and vans (Euro 6) and lorries and buses (Euro VI).
- Better control of emissions of air pollutants from all new vehicles by broadening the range of driving conditions that are covered by the on-road emissions tests.
- Updates to, and tightening of, the limits for pollutant emissions.
- Regulation of emissions from brakes and tyres: the Euro 7 standards rules will be the first worldwide emission standards to move beyond regulating exhaust pipe emissions and set additional limits for particulate emissions from brakes and rules on microplastic emissions from tyres.
- Steps to ensure that new cars stay clean for longer: all vehicles will need to comply with the rules for a longer period than until now.
- Support of the deployment of electric vehicles: the new rules will regulate the durability of batteries installed in cars and vans in order to increase consumer confidence in electric vehicles.
- Making full use of digital possibilities: Euro 7 rules will ensure that vehicles are not tampered with and emissions can be controlled by the authorities in an easy way by using sensors inside the vehicle to measure emissions throughout the lifetime of a vehicles.
The Commission’s proposal will be submitted to the European Parliament and the Council in view of its adoption by the co-legislators.
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