ACEA

Improving Air Quality: Cleaner vehicles with fewer emissions – improving air quality in towns and cities

Engine technologies and exhaust after-treatment systems have slashed pollutant emissions like particles and NOx from cars as well as busses, trucks and vans, boosting air quality in towns and cities. Vehicle makers will continue to innovate, but demand that further exhaust emission limits be set only following a proper impact assessment that weighs the effects and costs of any new target, both for the environment and the economy. Unrealistic objectives threaten competitiveness and could have the perverse effect of damaging CO2 reduction efforts. More measures, like incentives for fleet renewal, should be the priority. These would result in better air quality and bring safer vehicles to Europe’s roads more quickly and at overall lower cost.

Exhaust air pollutants are now a fraction of what they were two decades ago. Engine efficiency improvements and exhaust after-treatment systems have driven massive cuts in carbon monoxide (CO), hydrocarbons (HC), nitrogen oxides (NOx) and particulate matter (PM) from cars and commercial vehicles.

The automobile sector supports measures to reduce road transport emissions further. However, these must be based on thorough and transparent impact assessments. The priority for regulators must be to maximise benefits to the environment, in the quickest timeframe, without damaging industry competitiveness.

Industry progress in reducing emissions

• The most advanced trucks now emit 86% less NOx and 95% less particulate matter than those from the early 1990s.
• Over the past 10 years, truck exhaust emissions have reduced by 35% despite an increase in ’work done’ (tonnekm) by 30%.
• It takes 100 cars produced today to emit as many polluting elements as 1 car made in the 1970s.
• Particulate matter filters can reduce particulate emissions from diesel vehicles by 99%.

(click on picture for higher resolution)

Emission standards

Cars and commercial vehicles sold in Europe are subject to strict limits on the mass of air pollutants produced from the tailpipe. Called Euro standards, these were introduced in 1991 with Euro 0 for passenger cars and in 1992 with Euro I for commercial vehicles.

Innovation has helped meet progressively tighter targets as the rules have developed. Technologies like variable valve timing, direct fuel injection and improved engine management systems have all played a role.

So too have exhaust after-treatment systems. New diesel cars are now fitted with particulate traps to meet tough new Euro 5 standards, while many of the latest commercial vehicles use Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) in combination with a urea-based additive (one trademark is ‘AdBlue’) to help reduce NOx emissions.

Industry will continue to innovate and has actively participated in discussions over the latest Euro 5 and Euro 6 rules for cars and the Euro V and VI rules for commercial vehicles.

However, industry remains concerned that the Commission did not carry out proper impact assessments on the costs for industry to meet these new targets – and the price rises that new technologies would impose on vehicle buyers.

Emissions and high costs

Auto makers believe that a lack of a robust impact assessment has led to a significant under-estimation in the costs of meeting the Euro 6 targets.

Diesel car prices, for example, are forecast to rise. In 2005, the Commission’s Clean Air for Europe (CAFE) Programme suggested a €202 increase. However, an independent panel, set up by the Commission, later forecast that the cost could be more than four times higher at €900. The Commission’s figure was also based on the assumption of a fall in precious metal prices, which has already been seen to be incorrect.

The effect of a significant price increase could damage the market for fuel-efficient diesel cars and vans, particularly during the economic downturn. This could have the perverse effect of an increase in CO2 emissions from cars and hurt the competitiveness of European manufacturers, who are technology leaders when it comes to diesel engines.

Issues like market distortion and the counter effect on European CO2 emission targets demonstrate why a thorough and transparent impact assessment, based on realistic cost assumptions, must form the basis for any technology-led targets for vehicle manufacturers.

Encourage fleet renewal

Significant improvements in air quality will occur thanks to fleet renewal. As older cars and trucks are replaced by newer models, emissions from road transport will come down, even in the absence of the latest emission limits.

The conclusion that can be drawn is that a rapid replacement of older vehicles with newer models would contribute more to reducing emission levels than any further tightening limits. This is especially true for gasoline cars and is supported by the findings of the CAFE Programme which foresees a reduction in NOx and VOC emissions from gasoline vehicles of more than 90% by 2020, even without Euro 5.

Some governments have considered imposing sales taxes for new cars. This is not the right approach. The industry believes all member states should be encouraged to take steps to accelerate fleet renewal.

Incentives to buy the latest models will drive down all emission types – CO2 and pollutants – and bring the latest generation of safe vehicles onto European roads.

History and levels of Euro standards for passenger cars

  

    
Euro Standards 
    
Entry into force 
    
 
    
Emission limits 
    
 
    
 
  
  

    
 
    
New car types  
    
All new cars  
    
Petrol NOx  
     
Diesel NOx  
     
Diesel PM  
   
   

      
Euro 0 
      
1 Oct '91 
      
1 Oct '93 
      
1000 mg/km 
      
1600 mg/km 
      
(no limit) 
   
   

         
Euro 1 
         
1 Jul '92 
         
31 Dec '92 
         
490 mg/km 
         
780 mg/km 
         
140 mg/km 
   
   

         
Euro 2 
         
1 Jan '96 
         
1 Jan '97 
         
250 mg/km 
         
730 mg/km 
         
100 mg/km 
   
   

         
Euro 3 
         
1 Jan '00 
         
1 Jan '01 
         
150 mg/km 
         
500 mg/km 
         
50 mg/km 
   
   

         
Euro 4 
         
1 Jan '05 
         
1 Jan '06 
         
80 mg/km 
         
250 mg/km 
         
25 mg/km 
   
   

         
Euro 5 
         
1 Sep '09 
         
1 Jan '11 
         
60 mg/km 
         
180 mg/km 
         
5 mg/km 
   
   

         
Euro 6 
         
1 Sep '14 
         
1 Sep '15 
         
60 mg/km 
         
80 mg/km 
         
5 mg/km 
  

last updated 12/05/2009

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