The European Parliament and the 27 member states have ruled out tightening exhaust pollution standards for passenger cars in the EU to spare the car industry from extra costs when investing in electric vehicles.
The new Euro 7 standard, approved this evening, lowers emissions thresholds for heavy trucks and, for the first time in Europe, introduces limits on particulate emissions caused by brake and tire wear. Minimum performance requirements are also set for the durability of batteries in electric and hybrid cars. These must last at least 72 years and retain at least 72 percent of their capacity after 8 years or 160,000 kilometers.
Parliament and the Member States still have to formally approve the agreement. The rules go less far than what the European Commission proposed in November 2022. In September, the NGO Transport & Environment spoke of an “air quality disaster” and rules that put “the record profits of car makers ahead of the health of citizens”.
The car makers warned about the impact of too strict standards on employment and on the price of cars, which are increasingly less accessible to the middle class. Faced with enormous investments to develop a new range of electric cars in the competition from Tesla and Chinese manufacturers, they want additional investments in combustion engines that will disappear in any case.
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2023-12-18 20:29:33
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