Transport & Environment (T&E) welcomes the outcome of a key vote today to make passenger cars more fuel-efficient in 2020 and beyond. The Environment Committee of the European Parliament confirmed that new cars sold in 2020 should achieve an average fuel economy of around 3.9 litres/100km.
The official fuel consumption measured in tests is now, on average, almost a quarter lower than that achieved on average by drivers on the road, a new report says. The report finds that this gap is growing and the principal cause is car manufacturers manipulating official tests.
European car manufacturers are better positioned than most of their Asian counterparts [1] to meet the target of 95 g/km average CO2 emissions by 2020, T&E’s 2012 Cars Report says. In the race to hit the 2020 95g target, all European makers (except Daimler) rank in the top 9 whilst five of the bottom six carmakers are Asian.
EC plan for a 2020 competitive car and lorry industry omits key environmental promises.The Commission’s Cars 2020 Action Plan (1) for a competitive and sustainable automotive industry in Europe announced today fails to address key strategic challenges such as climate change. Sustainable transport campaigners, Transport & Environment (T&E), have identified important omissions from the plans. This follows earlier announcements this week that other key policies to reduce the environmental impact of vehicles are being shelved.
According to Reuters (1), the EU is set to confirm a legally-binding target for average new car CO2 emissions of 95 g/km by 2020. Transport & Environment, the sustainable transport campaigners, have warned that the target will not be enough to ensure Europe holds on to its leadership position in fuel saving technologies.
A report in today’s edition of Die Welt (1), suggests future European fuel efficiency standards for new cars could be weakened to account for “infrastructure, driver behavior and other measures”. The story cites a forthcoming report by the EU’s CARS 21 high level policy group.
Brussels - Fuel tax havens such as Luxembourg and Spain may have to raise their low diesel taxes following a vote in the European Parliament in Strasbourg this afternoon on a proposal to revise the EU’s Energy Tax law. Commenting on the outcome of the vote, Magnus Nilsson, senior campaigner at T&E said: “This vote is good news for countries like Portugal, Belgium, France and Germany who currently lose billions in tax revenue as a result of lorries filling up in fuel tax havens such as Luxembourg and Spain. Lower diesel taxes are bad for the climate and force governments to find cash elsewhere, such as by raising job-killing labour taxes. ”
The average car sold in Europe last year was 4% more fuel efficient, emitted 4% less CO2 and was 2.5% cheaper in real terms than a year earlier, according to a new report. The new figures, which continue recent trends, severely undermine industry claims that legally-binding fuel efficiency targets would make cars ‘unaffordable’.