Our youngest recently calculated that the 100 euros he saved would only be worth 93 euros next year with inflation at seven percent.
We praised the eleven-year-old and wondered whether the ability to calculate percentages was similarly developed in Brussels offices.
Because Stefan Hausberger from the Technical University of Graz calculated in the spring that the pollution caused by road traffic due to nitrogen oxides at the Neckartor in Stuttgart would drop by 93 percent compared to 2015 if all passing cars comply with the currently applicable Euro 6 final emissions standard.
Hausberger is not just anyone, but one of the key experts who publish the emission factors manual on behalf of the Federal Environment Agency.
But the remaining seven percentage points are still too much for the European Commission.
For years she has been working on a further tightening of the emission standards, which should come into force as the Euro 7 standard in 2025.
In the discussion is not only the halving of the nitrogen oxide limit, but also a limited budget for the maximum pollutants emitted after a cold start.
In addition, substances such as nitrous oxide and methane that are harmless to humans but have an impact on the climate should also be regulated.
In addition to stricter limit values for particles in the exhaust gas, the fine dust resulting from brake and tire wear is also to be limited for the first time.
In the discussion is not only the halving of the nitrogen oxide limit, but also a limited budget for the maximum pollutants emitted after a cold start.
In addition, substances such as nitrous oxide and methane that are harmless to humans but have an impact on the climate should also be regulated.
In addition to stricter limit values for particles in the exhaust gas, the fine dust resulting from brake and tire wear is also to be limited for the first time.
In the discussion is not only the halving of the nitrogen oxide limit, but also a limited budget for the maximum pollutants emitted after a cold start.
In addition, substances such as nitrous oxide and methane that are harmless to humans but have an impact on the climate should also be regulated.
In addition to stricter limit values for particles in the exhaust gas, the fine dust resulting from brake and tire wear is also to be limited for the first time.
More complicated arithmetic operations are required to estimate how the new standard will affect air quality.
An example: If the traffic-related nitrogen oxide emissions make up half of the background pollution, every second new car is an electric vehicle and every tenth car is no longer driven because the driver has a 9-euro ticket: How high can the maximum emissions of each individual be? vehicle?
If the answer doesn't come like a shot, it doesn't matter.
Because by varying the input parameters, almost any result can be achieved, as proven study authors know.
In such a situation, only common sense can help.
The European Commission wanted to prove this when it postponed the publication of the first draft of the Euro 7 regulation until November 30th.
Brussels experts also believe that a further postponement into the coming year is possible if the European economy continues to develop in the direction of stagflation.
Because the exhaust technology for a Euro 7 car is expensive, it costs up to 1000 euros, according to Renault boss Luca de Meo.
The catalysts are not the only cost drivers.
The decisive factor is the question of how to comply with the future budget for the maximum allowable cold start emissions.
In any case, 48-volt hybridization is required, i.e. an electric motor that supports the combustion engine in the first few seconds after a cold start.
It may probably be necessary to install an additional heating element that brings the catalytic converters close to the engine to the necessary temperature before the start.
If you push the introduction date further into the future, but at the same time stick to the de facto ban on climate-neutral combustion engines from 2035, the development costs will have to be spread over ever fewer Euro 7 engines.
The rising unit costs in combination with falling purchasing power logically reduce demand.
It can be a calculation