The European Automobile Manufacturers' Association (ACEA) has expressed 'serious concern' over what it terms the 'highly challenging' final deal on the EU CO2 regulation for cars and vans, setting target reductions out to 2030. The trade association is concerned over the competitive implications for Europe's auto industry if it is faced with CO2 emissions regulations that are much tighter than elsewhere in the world.
A deal has been struck by EU member states and the European Parliament that sets a 37.5% average reduction – versus today's average – for cars by 2030 (vans at 31% reduction). ACEA warns that the target is 'totally unrealistic based on where we stand today'. Moreover, it said industry deplores that this 2030 target is 'driven purely by political motives, without taking technological and socio-economic realities into account'.
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"ACEA's members are of course committed to further reducing CO2 emissions from their vehicles, but these targets will be extremely demanding on Europe's auto industry," said ACEA Secretary General, Erik Jonnaert. "Indeed, they will require a much stronger market uptake of electric and other alternatively-powered vehicles than is currently proving possible."
Jonnaert added: "Of course, all our member companies will continue to invest in their portfolios of alternatively-powered cars and vans, but there are still several obstacles putting the brakes on widespread consumer acceptance, such as affordability and the lack of a sufficiently dense network of recharging and refuelling infrastructure."
ACEA called on the 28 member states and the European Commission to ensure that all the enabling conditions are in place for these aggressive CO2 reduction levels, notably the much-needed investments in infrastructure.
It also warned that the extremely ambitious CO2 targets will have a 'seismic impact' on jobs across the entire automotive value chain, which employs some 13.3 million Europeans. In order to mitigate the negative impact of these structural changes, it said policy makers need to act swiftly by presenting concrete plans to manage this employment and skills transition in a proper, socially-acceptable way.
EU negotiators also fixed an interim CO2-cut target reduction for cars and vans of 15% by 2025.
Germany had warned that tough targets and the drive towards more electric cars could harm its industry and cost jobs. The VDA trade association has said the new legislation would set high demands while doing little to promote or provide incentives for switching to electric vehicles
The EU's current average caps on CO2 from cars are 130 grams per km set for 2015 and 95g/km fixed for 2021.
