Anger as environment committee sets back emissions improvements for cars
The European Parliament’s environment committee has voted to delay the Commission’s proposed Euro-5 pollution standards from cars, and to weaken some elements of the package.
Nine former Environment Ministers call for a stricter climate policy for cars
Today, nine former EU Environment Ministers appealed to Commission President José Manuel Barroso to respect a target they set ten years ago for carbon dioxide emissions from new cars. The ministers urged Barroso 'to do what is necessary to ensure that carmakers and importers of Europe reach the 120g CO2/km target by 2010'.
Car industry failing on climate pledge
19/04/06, Brussels - Carmakers are defaulting on their pledge to tackle climate change, new figures show. Last year, car industry efforts to improve fuel efficiency achieved a third of the rate needed to meet a commitment they made to the EU in 1998.
Car makers shift CO2 responsibility to oil
Reports from the Commission suggest Europe’s car makers have succeeded in passing part of the responsibility for reducing carbon dioxide emissions for new cars onto oil companies.
Euro-5 would allow for dirtier diesels than in US, says T&E
The Commission is set to propose a Euro-5 emissions standard which is as weak as the pre-proposal issued for public consultation in September. according to media reports.
Clean cars: Europe and America can learn from each other
By Roland Hwang Both European and American NGOs are working hard to encourage the auto industries to produce cleaner and low-carbon cars, but the scope for coordination hasn’t been fully exploited. The aims may be the same, but the approaches haven’t, despite the obvious fact that the more the two continents adopt similar approaches, the more car makers can take advantage of the vast economies of scale by developing the same technologies for both markets.
Car makers trying to hold back ‘feasible’ improvements to emissions standards
The Commission has closed its consultation on the next round of emission limits for passenger cars, known as Euro-5, with T&E clashing with the European car makers’ association Acea.
Is 120 g/km by 2012 ‘impossible’?
The EU industry commissioner Günter Verheugen (pictured), is said to believe the target of reducing average carbon dioxide emissions from new cars to 120 grams per kilometre by 2012 is “impossible”.
Breakthrough for cars as Daimler tests SCR
The decision by the German car maker Daimler Chrysler to do field trials of Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) looks set to be a breakthrough in the battle to reduce nitrogen oxides emissions from diesel cars.
China has realised something that Mr Barroso could learn from
Editorial by Karsten Krause China, China, China. It seems to be the golden rule that, within 10 minutes of any discussion about legislating on automotive standards, at least one reference to the situation in China is necessary. Whatever the topic, or whatever point is being made, a juicy story from the Far East helps. And the message is: automotive legislation in Europe makes no difference because of the situation in China.