Eurofer welcomes European Parliament vote on emission rules for cars and vans

he European Steel Association (EUROFER) welcomed today’s European Parliament plenary vote on future emissions rules for cars and vans. The Parliament recognised the importance of ‘life cycle thinking’ for vehicle CO₂ emissions post-2020. This recognition is an important first step in reducing emissions from the full lifecycle of these vehicles.

“Until now, car and van CO₂ regulations have focussed solely on tailpipe emissions that occur during the ‘use phase’ of the vehicle”, said Axel Eggert, Director General of EUROFER. “The European Parliament has recognised the increasingly significant emissions from the production and ‘end-of-life’ phases. As use phase emissions are set to decline, the Parliament has signalled its desire for a common lifecycle emissions methodology to be developed”.

The development of a harmonised methodology is an important first step towards the longer-term goal of integrating lifecycle emissions into the automotive CO₂ regulation itself. This could be through the use of a voluntary CO₂ credit that recognises reductions in lifecycle emissions; these are currently not covered in the existing type approval process.

“We see the next stage of negotiations between the European Parliament and member states as a way to set a clear pathway for the Commission to work towards integrating lifecycle emissions into the CO₂ regulations, using a transparent and robust calculation methodology”, added Mr Eggert. “This should be combined with incentives for manufacturers to reduce emissions from the production and recycling of a vehicle”

Mr Eggert concluded, “The European steel industry is ready to work with manufacturers to meet the challenge of reducing CO₂ emissions, and to demonstrate how a lifecycle approach can help reduce costs – whilst avoiding unintended burden shifting – in the pursuit of genuinely effective emissions reductions”

Soruce: Eurofer, photo: fotoalia