Euro 7 proposals under fire from truck makers
ACEA, the European automobile manufacturers’ association – whose members include the major continental commercial vehicle producers – has aired “serious concerns” about newly published European Commission (EC) proposals for a new phase of emissions regulations.
The proposals, whose publication has been significantly delayed, demand more stringent exhaust emissions standards both for new trucks and buses, expected to be implemented from July 2027, and for vans and cars, for which the proposed implementation date is July 2025.
These are to be consolidated under a single set of Euro 7 rules.
The EC says that in 2035, the new standards would lower nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions from buses and lorries by 56 per cent within the EU compared to Euro VI, and by 35 per cent compared to Euro 6 for vans and cars. Tailpipe particles would be lowered by 39 per cent from buses and lorries, and 13 per cent from vans and cars.
The plans would bring into scope pollutant emissions from lorries and buses that were previously not covered, such as formaldehyde – an irritant, carcinogenic gas – and nitrous oxide (N2O).
The proposals also include plans to tackle brake and tyre emissions as part of the regulations for the first time.
The new rules will be “technology- and fuel-neutral”, the EC says, meaning that the same limits apply to all vehicles within the same category, regardless of technology (i.e. whether conventional internal combustion engine, hybrid or plug-in). They will therefore apply to zero-CO2 emission vehicles, such as electric or fuel cell trucks.
But ACEA says the proposals are “particularly harsh for trucks,” stating that the planned standard “completely neglects the rapidly accelerating shift to zero-emission vehicles, and also ignores the effect of future CO2 targets for heavy-duty vehicles.”
In addition, the body has called the proposed timescales “unrealistic,” given the enormous number of vehicle models and variants that would need to be engineered, tested and type approved before the deadlines. Euro 7, it said, “risks being very complex and costly”.
In a statement Martin Lundstedt, chair of ACEA’s Commercial Vehicle Board and the CEO of Volvo Group – whose subsidiaries include Renault Trucks and Volvo Trucks – commented: “To comply with Euro VII, truck makers will have to move substantial engineering and financial resources from battery and fuel-cell electric vehicles back to the internal combustion engine.
“This will severely impact our transition to zero-emission vehicles. It is not good for the climate, not good for people’s health and not good for the industry.
“Policy makers should focus on measures that accelerate fleet renewal, prioritising investments in zero-emission vehicles, which will have a far bigger impact on both air quality and reduced CO2 emissions.”
ACEA cited recent studies suggesting that the renewal of the European fleet with the latest Euro 6/VI vehicles, alongside electrification strategies, would deliver an 80 per cent reduction in NOx emissions from road transport by 2035 as compared to 2020.
Over the same timeframe, it said, the most stringent Euro 7 scenarios – with limits for nitrogen oxides (NOx) and particles set at zero – would reduce NOx emissions by less than an additional five per cent for vans and cars compared to Euro 6d levels, and by only around two per cent for trucks.
Alexander Vlaskamp, CEO of MAN Truck & Bus, has also raised concerns.
“Without tackling the older fleet – which would make much more sense – Euro 7/VII will have a marginal impact on road transport NOx emissions,” he said.
“On the contrary it requires massive investments of several hundred million euros into a diminishing technology in the future, which will even exceed the cost of developing a very comprehensive Euro VI standard, which was then applicable to a much higher share of the overall fleet.
“It will bind vast resources of skilled engineers which we really need to master the transformation towards e-mobility.”
IRU, the worldwide road transport organisation, said it welcomed the EC’s efforts in proposing solutions to reduce pollutants, but that it was: “concerned that the stringency of the norms in the Euro 7 proposal may in some cases require vehicles to be completely reengineered, with serious cost implications that are completely disproportionate to the actual benefits.”
IRU director of EU advocacy, Raluca Marian, said: “If the Euro 7 proposal doesn’t strike the right balance between the stringency of the rules, associated costs and additional environmental benefits, it could disincentivise and eventually deter manufacturers from developing new technologies or discourage operators from buying them. This will not help put more cleaner vehicles on the road.”
The organisation added that it was “cautious” about the inclusion of tyre and brake-related emissions within the scope of the rules.
“Could a transport operator buy a Euro 7 vehicle and one year later the vehicle is no longer considered a Euro 7 vehicle because worn tyres have been replaced with tyres of a different quality?” asked Raluca Marian.
“Would this mean that a vehicle can no longer enter an urban low emission zone because of wear and tear on some parts?
“Businesses need legal certainty to make investments. We expect Euro 7 rules to be pragmatic and clear on these aspects.”
Phil Lloyd, head of engineering policy at Logistics UK, said: “Logistics UK welcomes all progressive technological improvements that benefit health and the environment, but these changes must be sustainable and economically viable.
“Reducing emissions at use would be counter-productive if this resulted in greater quantities of manufacturing needed. For example, if tyre life was reduced due to compound changes, resulting in more tyres being required over the same vehicle life.
“Logistics UK will now look with interest at the proposals and identified benefits. Additionally, Logistics UK is aware of concerns related to the cost implications of developing Euro VII when OEMs are focused on the development of zero emission technologies, resulting in a potentially short life span of Euro VII.”
On release of the proposals, Margrethe Vestager, the EC’s executive vice-president for a Europe Fit for the Digital Age, said: “We cannot accept a society where exposure to air pollution is responsible for more than 300,000 premature deaths in the EU-27 alone annually.
“The new rules will help us breathe safer air and help the sector to become greener and more resilient. We need to stick to the objective of the European Green Deal and become a standard setter globally.”
