The increase in UK new car CO2 emissions by 0.8% in 2017 reported by the UK industry arises mainly from a shift to larger SUV and dual-purpose vehicles rather than from declining diesel sales that the UK car industry association (SMMT) claims.
Whilst the rest of the economy has leapt forward to embrace digitalisation, transport has remained largely analogue. The internal combustion engine, a workhorse from the 19th century, stills powers virtually all vehicles using oil that chokes our cities and heats the planet.
Electrofuels are neither an efficient or a cost-effective solution to decarbonise road transport, a new independent study has found.
The recent European Commission proposal on CO2 regulations for cars and vans to 2030 has provided the car industry with an early christmas gift. The unambitious 3%pa improvement rate and removal of a binding sales target for zero-emission vehicles (ZEV) followed last minute lobbying by carmakers. With Vice President Sefcovic, and the architects of the package Commissioners Cañete, Bulc and Bienkowksa all aligned in favour of a system of credits and, crucially, debits for carmakers that exceeded or breached a ZEV sales target, the package was virtually finalised before a last-minute intervention diluted the proposal.
Electric vehicles emit less greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions over their lifetimes than diesel engine cars, a new independent study has found. Even when powered by the most carbon intensive electricity in Europe, EVs will emit less and those emissions decrease further as more renewable electricity enters the grid, according to an analysis of the lifecycle emissions of the vehicles conducted by VUB university in Brussels for T&E.
As the automotive industry is on the brink of a major electric transition, environmental performance of EVs has become a highly debated topic. This study and briefing address two critical aspects of this debate, namely the climate impact of EVs and the use of critical metals, including rare earth minerals.
Electric vehicles emit less greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions than diesel engine cars – even when powered by the most carbon intensive electricity, a new independent study has found. EVs will emit even less as more renewable electricity enters the grid, according to an analysis of the lifecycle emissions of the vehicles conducted by VUB university in Brussels for NGO Transport & Environment (T&E).
A clean vehicle sales mandate for Europe is still on track to be part of the forthcoming European Commission proposal on decarbonising cars, it has been confirmed. ‘There can be a mandate ... an incentive for zero and low emissions cars,’ the head of the climate directorate, Jos Delbeke told a recent T&E conference on cutting car CO2 emissions and electrifying the car fleet.
A strategy for turning Europe’s car fleet from fossil-fuel-powered to electric has been outlined in a new study for T&E. It suggests the continent must set a target of electric cars making up more than a half of all new vehicles sold by 2030, and that to achieve this joint efforts must now begin between the EU, member states and industry.
Greenhouse gas emissions from trucks and buses in Europe could be completely eliminated by 2050, a new in-depth study by T&E has found. However, this requires the EU to set ambitious CO2 standards for trucks, increase the share of rail freight and embrace new truck technologies based on renewable electricity, according to the report launched this week at the Mission of Norway to the EU in Brussels.
