An EU-wide emissions cut likely when new package revealed
Automakers looking at end of ICE sooner than expected
Europe is looking at cracking down on emissions once again. The car industry there is expecting a new target that would slash overall carbon emissions by 55 percent by 2030, up from the current 40 percent target.
The European Union’s climate change and energy package, “Fit for 55,” is expected to be released mid-July, and Automotive News reports that one of the changes under discussion by the European Commission is a 60 percent cut in passenger car CO2 emissions by 2030. That would be followed by a 100 percent cut by 2035, a move that would seem to make internal combustion engines an impossibility.
The current light vehicle CO2 targets were approved in 2018 and called for a 15 percent reduction from 2021 figures by 2025 and a 37.5 percent cut by 2030. That’s largely behind the large numbers of PHEV and EV models from automakers in Europe over the last few years.
Once the Fit for 55 proposal is released, it will face debate by EU members and the European Parliament. Meaning that requirements could be eased. AN reports that German automotive association spoke against the changes, saying that the rules would force the sale of EVs, and that “restricting the technology to a single drivetrain option within such a short period of time is worrying and does not give any consideration whatsoever to the interests of consumers.”
Volvo Cars head of sustainability Anders Karrberg said this week, AN reports, that “we hope more manufacturers will join us in setting ambitious dates for becoming fully electric.” Adding that “we believe that setting long-term targets like 2040 could make you passive and inactive.”
