Thermal cars do not pollute less than before, according to the European Court of Auditors

Europe 1 with AFP 9:43 p.m., January 24, 2024

Thermal cars do not pollute much less than before and the reductions in CO2 emissions from the automobile sector are mainly linked to the rise of electric vehicles, according to a report published Wednesday by the European Court of Auditors.

The institution measured the effectiveness of the regulation on CO2 emissions from passenger cars, which has set an EU-wide emissions target for new vehicles since 2010 and, since 2012, targets for specific emissions for manufacturers.

According to the Court of Auditors, CO2 emissions from new passenger cars “started to fall significantly from 2020, i.e. 11 years after the entry into force of the first regulation”.

“This decline is mainly explained by the significant growth in electric vehicles”

“As emissions in real conditions from thermal engine cars have not decreased, this drop is mainly explained by the significant growth in electric vehicles,” underline the authors of the report.

>> READ ALSO -

 “Bad news for us”: low-emission zones worry transported professionals

During the period 2009-2019, the average emissions of new vehicles in real-world use conditions did not decrease, "mainly because manufacturers focused on reducing emissions measured in the laboratory rather than on the road."

On-road emissions depend on driver behavior, traffic or the use of air conditioning.

In 2017, a new laboratory test cycle, which better reflects real driving conditions, became mandatory for new vehicles received.

“This change made it possible to fill many flaws which had appeared in the previous test cycle and to reduce the gap between the emissions measured in the laboratory and those observed on the road”, analyzes the Court of Auditors.

“The main challenge to meet the emissions reduction targets”

The targets for reducing CO2 emissions for cars and the EU's climate ambitions for 2030 do not "sufficiently match", concludes the Court.

>> Find all the newspapers from the Europe 1 editorial team in replay and podcast here

“The main challenge to meeting the emissions reduction targets for 2030 and beyond will be to ensure that there is sufficient consumer adoption of zero-emission vehicles. It will be particularly important to make electric vehicles affordable, put in place enough charging infrastructure and guarantee the supply of raw materials necessary for the production of batteries", underlines the Court of Auditors.

Emissions from the transport sector accounted for 23% of total EU greenhouse gas emissions in 2021, more than half of which came from passenger cars, and they continue to grow.