New statistics from the EU audit agency ECA show that the cars in the EU emit as much carbon dioxide now as they did 12 years ago.
This means that actual emissions have not fallen over this period, despite advances in vehicle technology, reductions in engine size and increased sales of electric cars.
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It doesn’t get any better
According to ECA, the real emissions from conventionally driven cars, which still make up 75 percent of all new car sales in the EU, have not fallen.
Emissions from diesel cars have remained at a constant level for the past 10 years, while emissions from petrol cars have fallen by just 4.6 percent.
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Too heavy cars with too much power
The statistics may be surprising given an increasingly strong focus on the environment and that the engines are becoming increasingly frugal.
According to ECA, the explanation lies in the fact that progress from an environmental point of view has been compensated by the fact that the cars have become heavier and have stronger engines. A new car weighs an average of 10 percent more now than ten years ago, and has an average of 25 percent more power.
The hybrid cars have not helped the situation as much as one might think, as the real emissions are often significantly higher than the official figures suggest. For this reason, the EU will review the regulatory framework for hybrid cars.
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Electric cars play an important role
According to ECA, electric cars are the single biggest factor that has contributed to reduced emissions from road traffic in recent years, and increased electrification will continue to be important in the future.
According to Pietro Russo at ECA, there must be a reduction of cars that emit carbon dioxide, if the EU is to become a leader in environmentally friendly road traffic.
– A real and tangible reduction of cars’ carbon dioxide emissions will not take place as long as the internal combustion engine dominates, but at the same time the electrification of the EU’s vehicle fleet is an extensive undertaking, says Russo.
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