Filenews 14 February 2023
By 340 votes in favour, 279 against and 21 abstentions, the European Parliament endorsed the agreement reached with the Council on revised CO2 emission efficiency standards for new cars and lorries in line with the EU's ambitious climate targets.
The new legislation paves the way towards zero CO2 emissions for new passenger cars and light commercial vehicles in 2035 (an EU-wide target to reduce CO2 emissions produced by new cars and trucks by 100% compared to 2021). The interim emission reduction targets for 2030 are set at 55% for cars and 50% for trucks.
Other measures provided for by the Regulation:
The Commission will present by 2025 a methodology for assessing and reporting data on life-cycle CO2 emissions of cars and trucks sold on the EU market, accompanied by legislative proposals where appropriate.
By December 2026, the Commission will monitor the gap between emission limit values and real-world fuel and energy consumption data, report on a methodology for adjusting manufacturers' specific CO2 emissions and propose appropriate monitoring measures.
Manufacturers responsible for small production volumes in a calendar year (1,000 to 10,000 new cars or 1,000 to 22,000 new trucks) may be granted a derogation until the end of 2035 (those registering fewer than 1,000 new vehicles per year are still exempt).
The current zero- and low-emission vehicle incentive mechanism (ZLEV), which rewards manufacturers selling more such vehicles (with emissions from zero to 50 g CO2/km, such as electric vehicles and high-performance plug-in hybrids) with a lower CO2 emission reduction target, will be adapted to meet expected sales trends. From 2025 to 2029, the ZLEV benchmark is set at 25% for sales of new cars and 17% for new trucks, and from 2030 the incentive will be abolished.
Every two years, starting from the end of 2025, the Commission will publish a report assessing progress towards zero-emission road mobility.
Following the final vote in plenary, the text will now also have to be formally adopted by the Council before being published in the Official Journal of the EU immediately afterwards.
The backstory
On 14 July 2021, as part of the 'Fit for 55' package, the Commission presented a legislative proposal to revise the CO2 emission efficiency standards for new passenger cars and light commercial vehicles. The proposal aims to contribute to the EU's 2030 and 2050 climate targets, deliver benefits to citizens and stimulate innovation in zero-emission technologies.
