ACEA

Commission consultants: Fleet renewal schemes benefit economy and environment

A study ordered by the European Commission has concluded that fleet renewal schemes put in place during 2009 did not only significantly stimulate the economy, but also reduced CO2 emissions remarkably and increased road safety.

Climate and environment even continue to benefit, the study says: replacing older vehicles with newer ones that are more fuel efficient and cleaner will have reduced CO2 emissions by about 1.79 million tonnes until the end of 2010. NOx and particulate matter emissions also decrease, as almost two million pre-Euro 1, Euro 1 and Euro 2 cars  have been replaced by vehicles that fulfil the latest requirements.

The authors estimate that the sales under the schemes contributed up to 0.2% to EU-wide GDP in 2009. In the third quarter of the year, they may even have added up to 0.26% - more than half of the 0.4% Eurozone GDP in the same time period.

While some demand for vehicles was pulled forward through the government incentives, the researchers conclude that 2.16 million more cars were bought thanks to the schemes, softening the impact of the harsh recession on many jobs and on the overall economy. According to the consultants’ estimates, this saved about 120 000 direct jobs, without counting for the effect on indirect employment.

Moreover, swifter fleet renewal has brought over one million additional cars with passenger airbags, 1.4 million additional cars with ABS, and 1.38 million additional cars with ESC onto the road last year, thereby increasing road safety.

The full study is available here

• Fleet renewal schemes can soften the impact of the recession
• ACEA dossier on CO2 emissions
• Improving air quality
• ACEA Economic Report
• ACEA dossier on road safety

 

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