The German Association of the Automotive Industry believes that the Euro 7 emission standard approved today by the European Commission cannot be implemented in the future. It will apply to passenger cars from July 2025. The trade association also believes that the implementation for heavy commercial vehicles by July 2027 is technologically hardly feasible.
“The proposal envisages reducing the limit values by a factor of more than ten and at the same time significantly expanding the test conditions, durability and introducing new limits for nitrous oxide, ammonia and brake dust. In doing so, the commission goes far beyond comparable international emissions legislation,” laments VDA President Hildegard Müller.
From the VDA’s point of view, Brussels does not rely on a sense of proportion and feasibility, but rather on “unrealistic extreme goals”. For passenger cars and light commercial vehicles the reductions in the limits are nominally smaller, but too ambitious in terms of time. A delivery time of only one year after the expected binding decision is simply too short.
The VDA also sees unrealistic scenarios and extreme situations in test drive conditions. Here, the “worst trips” would be artificially caused. The bill also provides for the harmonization of legislation for passenger cars and light commercial vehicles. “Light commercial vehicles are therefore doubly affected by the tightening of legislation. The proposed N2O limit poses a particular challenge for vans with a total weight exceeding 3.5 tonnes, therefore the promise made by the Commission that Euro 7 does not mean a de facto ban on combustion engines has not been fulfilled. The desired limit values are at the limit of what is technologically feasible,” says Hildegard Müller. (aum)
