Tag: Cars

The European Commission’s proposed regulation to fit new passenger cars and light vehicles with eCall - a form of embedded mobile technology - will not only save lives but revolutionise Europe’s car and mobile technology industries in the process, writes Francesca Forestieri.

Europe's car industry has reconciled itself to EU plans to limit emissions from cars to 95 grams of CO₂ per km (g/km), and from vans to 147 g/km, Ivan Hodač, secretary-general of the European Automobile Manufacturers Association, tells EurActiv.

EXCLUSIVE: The EU pledges funding worth billions of euros to the automotive industry up 2020 in a leaked draft of its cars strategy, to be presented today (8 November). The new strategy comes amid a wave of announced factory closures and lay-offs in the sector but was criticised by Green activists for lacking ambition on CO2 emission cuts.

SPECIAL REPORT / Car manufacturers envision a mostly electrified European market by 2030, in which car sharing schemes will have taken off in city centres, new mobility operators will offer multiplatform transport packages, and the age of ‘the prosumer’ could be upon us.

SPECIAL REPORT / Electric cars are an axiom of clean transport planning - they produce no tailpipe emissions, little localised air pollution and, potentially, no greenhouse gas output. But as their critics point out, they are only as green as the electricity that they use.

The European Commission is planning to re-introduce a clause for ‘super credits’ that would reward manufacturers that switch to electric cars with permits to make high-emitting gas guzzlers, EurActiv understands. The controversial clause will be part of proposals for CO2 in Cars, due to be announced today (11 July).

Leaders did not deliver an international agreement in Copenhagen and the US is dragging its feet on a climate bill, but all is not lost as positive action on reducing carbon emissions is developing quickly and we are rapidly approaching the climate-energy tipping point, American climate guru Lester Brown told EurActiv in an exclusive interview.

New binding EU targets for reducing CO2 emissions from new vehicles are proving effective, but huge differences remain between the levels of progress made by carmakers, found a new report from NGO Transport and Environment (T&E). 

Proven technologies to reduce CO2 emissions from private cars, particularly fuel-efficiency innovations, represent a huge opportunity to reinvigorate the global automotive industry, especially if tax breaks and other subsidies are introduced to reduce prices of new vehicles for consumers, suggests new research by McKinsey.

Amid public incomprehension over billions of euro being poured into saving the banking sector instead of EU industry, ministers underlined yesterday (5 March) that better communication of basic economics is needed to prevent social and political unrest.

Industry ministers from the 27 member states agreed on Friday (16 January) to coordinate national measures in support of their ailing car industries, amid warnings from the European Commission of "a race for subsidies" and confirmation that no specific EU support plan for the industry is foreseen.

On the eve of negotiations that could determine the adoption of EU biofuel targets, the bloc's lawmakers are still split over sustainability criteria, including the amount of land used to grow crops for production.

The EU is getting closer to reaching an agreement to reduce CO2 emissions from cars, amid speculation that the bloc's car-making countries have struck a deal to lower fines for manufacturers that fail to meet their CO2 targets.

A planned €40 billion soft-loan package designed to help European car manufacturers meet ambitious environmental targets was welcomed by the sector but heavily criticised by environmentalists. 

European automobile manufacturers are calling on the European Commission to follow in the footsteps of the US and provide them with billions in low-cost loans to help them develop environmentally friendly vehicles as global car sales drop.

Against expectations and despite strong pressure from industry, the Parliament’s Environment Committee yesterday (25 September) voted down a compromise proposal that would have diluted EU ambitions to cut cars’ average CO2 emissions.

Parliament yesterday (3 September) backed Commission proposals to boost the development of hydrogen vehicles, but warned that the strategy would fail without concrete measures to support the establishment of a Europe-wide filling station network for hydrogen powered vehicles.

Car manufacturers only reduced their CO2 emissions by 1.7% over the past year – a far cry from the average 17% cut they will have to achieve within the next four years to comply with planned European legislation, according to data published today by Transport & Environment, a green NGO.

Meeting for their annual bilateral summit on 9 June, the German Chancellor and French President finally smoothed over a heated dispute regarding European Commission plans to cap CO2 emissions from new cars. But green groups say the deal is a sham.

Much to the displeasure of media corporations, car advertisers could be forced to include "tobacco-style" warnings relating to the fuel consumption and CO2 emissions of new vehicles in all their promotional campaigns as the Commission looks to revise rules on car labelling.

A Commission proposal to limit emissions from cars sold in the EU is pitting countries home to the production of larger, luxury models against those which traditionally specialise in smaller, less-polluting ones.

If cars are to meet EU CO2 reduction targets while remaining affordable for consumers, European legislators must start considering areas other than engine technology, such as fuel-efficient tyres, alternative fuels or eco-driving, said representatives of the automotive sector and fuel industry at a forum in January.

Automobile manufacturers will have to slash their average fleet emissions or face hefty fines, according to new legislation presented by the Commission, which has already come under fire from Germany, manufacturers and green groups.