In the context of the European Parliament’s Environment, Public Health and Food Safety Committee (ENVI) vote on a Commission proposal [COM (2011) 856] for a Regulation on the sound levels of motor vehicles, this new study from TNO, independent experts that advise the Commission on both noise and CO2 regulations, shows that synergies between making cars more fuel efficient and quieter outweigh any conflict generated.
To the question ‘does further noise reduction on road vehicles conflict with reducing CO2 emissions?’, the answer is clearly no, the report says, based both on technical considerations and on-going development of engine and noise reduction technology.
But the car lobby is demanding that the EU scrap rules that would better reflect PHEV pollution.
New EU data shows the importance of the planned correction of the 'utility factor' for plug-in hybrids.