Arguments continue over van CO2 proposals
Thu 12 November 2009
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The motor industry has attacked the new European legislative proposals to cut CO2 emissions from light commercial vehicles complaining that there is insufficient lead time to meet the proposed targets and that the economic downturn has limited industry's capacity to invest in new products and development. The European environment group T&E says, however, that the draft legislation already delays the deadlines suggested in earlier discussions and that van manufacturers should be able to incorporate and build on rapid recent improvements in diesel car emissions.
The EU's announcement of the draft legislation at the end of October, aims to ensure that the average new van does not exceed a CO2 target of 175g/km by 2016. The plan has now been adopted by the EU but is subject to approval by the European Parliament and Member States.
Paul Everitt, chief executive of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), said: “Vans are an integral part of the European economy and at a time of economic downturn and belt-tightening, businesses do not have the capacity to invest in new products.
“Industry needs sufficient lead times and reasonable targets to provide affordable products. These must be fit for purpose as business tools. In the current economic climate, the EU regulation must maintain the sector’s diversity while encouraging innovation and the move to low carbon models.”
The SMMT's call was backed by the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA).
The Brussels-based environment group T&E said that the draft legislation is a significant development but that it bears the fingerprints of fierce lobbying by the automotive industry, and that even the EU’s Environment Commissioner regretted its reduced level of ambition.
T&E criticises the proposals, both for being a weakening of the Commission’s initial proposals from 2007 – it suggested 175 g/km should be reached by 2012 and 160g by 2015 – and for being well below what the diesel car sector has achieved in the last two years.
The draft legislation now proposes a phased introduction that says the average of 75% of new vans must meet the 175g target by 2014, 80% by 2015 and all by 2016. As the industry can select the lowest-CO2 vans for compliance in 2014 and 2015, the ‘phasing’ is effectively a delay.
The EU environment commissioner Stavros Dimas said: "The level of ambition is not as high as it was initially, but it’s still an important decision."
T&E says that further weakenings of the Commission’s original proposals are the postponement of plans to include bigger vans and minibuses, and the fact that a target of 135 g/km to be reached by 2020 will now be subject to review rather than a fixed target.
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