Browse by topic: Cars, Environmental policy, Standards


Carmakers failing citizens on filters

The health of millions of European citizens is being put at risk by carmakers’ failure to put cheap particle filters on new direct-injection petrol engines. The new engines are more fuel-efficient and emit much less carbon dioxide than traditional petrol engines, but T&E-commissioned testing shows they typically emit around 1,000 times more harmful particles, which cause cancer and pose other threats to human health.

Germany and its luxury carmakers force drivers to spend more on fuel

European motorists will see their fuel bills increase by €775 over the lifetime of their cars because of weakened CO2 limits agreed today by the 28 European governments [1]. This additional fuel consumption will cause approximately 50 million tonnes of extra CO2 emissions.

Germany blocks vote on agreed CO2 limit for cars – again



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EU signals car fuel economy could double by 2025

Transport & Environment (T&E) has welcomed an EU agreement that could lead to a doubling of the fuel-efficiency of new cars by 2025 and a halving of CO2 emissions. However, the final agreement is weaker than that of the European Parliament and offers too many concessions to appease German luxury carmakers.

Manipulation of fuel economy test results by carmakers: new evidence and solutions

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A growing body of evidence shows the current test used to measure car fuel efficiency is outdated, unrepresentative of real-world driving and lax enough to allow carmakers to systematically manipulate official test results at the expense of consumers’ trust. European institutions are presently finalising a regulation to lower CO2 emissions from cars and vans in 2020. This has stimulated intense debate when and how a new official test should be introduced. This briefing informs this debate in the light of new evidence from the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) that for the first time compares progress in official and real-world vehicle fuel efficiency on a brand-by-brand basis.

Who’s taking the lead on lead times?

‘Lead time’ is an expression most people do not often hear, but you hear it all the time when you work on European green laws. Lead time is the idea that, when you set a new environmental standard for an industry, that industry needs to be given time to adapt. This all sounds fair and good, but in reality claiming that lead times are too short, or even too long, is a very popular tool for industry lobbyists to get rid of or delay laws, and that in turn makes lead time a controversial issue.

Les véhicules à faibles émissions de carbone : bons pour l'emploi en Europe

Le présent document et l’étude sur laquelle il se fonde apportent des éléments clés quant à l’impact sur l'emploi des véhicules à faibles émissions de carbone. Ils sont l'aboutissement d'une vaste revue de la littérature consacrée à la question réalisée par CE Delft.

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