EU report estimates added costs of meeting 2008 voluntary target
Wed 11 January 2006
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A new report for the European Commission concludes that to reach the average new car emissions target of 140 g/km in 2008 would add 1200 Euros to the average retail price of a vehicle compared with a 2002 baseline.
The report: "Review and analysis of the reduction potential and costs of technological and other measures to reduce CO2-emissions from passenger cars" has been prepared for the Commission by TNO (Holland), IEEP (UK) and LAT (Greece).
The report says that meeting the 2012 target of reducing average new car CO2 emissions to 120g/km will add around €2450 to the retail cost of the average vehicle.
The new cost calculations are higher than earlier assessments, but the abatement costs identified in the report are heavily dependent on fuel costs which are closely allied to the price of oil. At an oil price of 74 €/bbl, abatement costs can be less than half the cost of implementing similar measures at an oil price of 25 €/bbl. The report uses a range of oil price assumptions from €25 to €74.
The report also concludes that reaching a new vehicle sales average of 120 g/km CO2 will require the introduction of hybrid vehicles in small, medium and large petrol car segments and for large diesel cars. It also arrives at the conclusion that the abatement costs of reducing CO2-emissions in light-duty commercial vehicles are generally lower than those of technical measures applied to passenger cars.
According to the study, fuel efficient air conditioning systems reduce the real-world CO2-emissions of passenger cars more cost effectively than technical measures to improve powertrain efficiency.
The report also analyses the effectiveness of other technical and non-technical measures as means of reducing CO2 emissions including: biofuels, gaseous fuels, low rolling resistance tyres, tyre pressure monitoring systems, low viscosity lubricants and fuel efficient driving methods.
To view the full report, follow the link below.
Related Links
TNO et al - Final report link
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