ACEA

Improving air quality: a key interest

Improving air quality: a key interest

As a result of technological innovations, air quality in Europe has significantly improved and will continue to improve in the future. Soon, it will take more than 20 new cars to produce the same level of emissions as one vehicle produced in the seventies. The industry keeps making enormous investments in cleaner technology.

In the last twenty years, the introduction of electronic injection systems, three-way catalytic converters, multi-valve engines, exhaust gas recirculation and common rail direct injection has contributed substantially to the emergence of low-emission passenger car and light-commercial vehicle engines. Compared to 1970 levels, passenger cars now emit 95% less Nitrogen Oxide (NOx) and other pollutants.

The development of intercoolers, high-pressure injection systems, electronic engine management systems and after-treatment systems has brought about similar emissions reduction for heavy-duty vehicles. Since 1985, emissions were reduced by over 90%.

Publications

Euro 5 for passenger cars
Worldwide Fuel Charter - September 2006 (ORIGINAL + ERRATA)
Worldwide Fuel Charter - September 2006 (ERRATA ONLY)

Replacing old cars contributes most

Looking ahead, the industry stresses the need for cost-effective ways to address air quality problems in the interest of the consumer, the industry and society as a whole. The European car manufacturers accept the installation across the range of diesel vehicles of a Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) that is mandated by Euro 5 and will do their utmost to meet with the stringent limit values for diesel cars of 180/80 mg/km and from gasoline cars to 60 mg/km within the set time frame.

The environmental benefits from implemented technology will increase as new vehicles progressively replace old vehicles on the streets. For example, CAFE predicts a more than 90% reduction in NOx and VOC emissions from gasoline vehicles by 2020 even without the coming into force of Euro 5 standards.

The environmental challenge is increasingly to keep vehicles affordable and to speed up fleet renewal, not a further reduction of limit values of new vehicles. To quote CAFE: "in the future, other sectors, for which there is currently less strict legislation, will cause the majority of emissions.

The industry stresses the fact that the renewal of the currently aged car fleet will contribute more significantly to the reduction of emission levels than the prescription of new technology. With some of the new Member States having an average age of the vehicle park of 16 years, imposing costly requirements on new cars is not the right way forward. The affordability of new cars is at stake. This is not important in terms of environmental and safety performance.

Air Quality and CO2 emissions: a complex trade-off

Diesel vehicles are the most energy efficient mode of transport. Progress towards achieving the CO2 reduction target is also linked to the impressive evolution of diesel technology in recent years. Legislators must be careful not to overburden this key CO2 reducing technology, in which European manufacturers are world-leaders. Due to the technical requirements of Euro 5 and 6 limit values and a predicted market shift from diesel to gasoline cars, ACEA expects a significant negative impact of 6% on the reduction of CO2 emissions.

History of Passenger Car Euro Standards

European emissions regulation started in the 1970s. Today, regulation covers CO (carbon monoxide), HC (hydrocarbons), NOx (nitrogen oxides) and PM (particulate matter). Five steps of legislative emissions reduction took place before the 1990s, when the first of the Euro standards was adopted. Euro 4 came into force on 1 January 2005 for new types and 1 January 2006 for all new registrations, leading to an additional 50% cut in emissions compared to Euro 3. Euro 5 will entry into force September 2009 (new types), and 1 January 2011 (all cars); Euro 6 in September 2014 (new types) and September 2015 (all cars).

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