Euro carmakers welcome study on CO2 limits
As might be expected, European car-makers aren't thrilled about the prospect of mandatory CO2 emissions limits replacing voluntary limits in the next few years. They have asked, and Environment ministers of EU member countries have agreed, that impact studies be done on the proposed limit of 130g/km from cars by 2012. The voluntary level had been 140g/km by 2008 but car-makers are currently averaging 160g/km.
The ministers had a meeting where they asked for the assessment of the costs and effects of the new limits but they didn't reach any agreement on how the limits should be assigned to carmakers. Presumably some are pushing to let certain manufacturers have higher limits while others get lower limits with the overall fleet average hitting 130g/km. If that were to happen it would certainly take a lot of pressure off of lower volume makers of high performance vehicles like Porsche and Ferrari. If they were to do implement something like this, the limits should definitely be graduated based on sales, so that Porsche with sales of 100,000 units would have a lower limit than Ferrari with sales of 5,000. Regardless of the final formula, all the car-makers need to reduce emissions.
[Source: Automotive News - Sub. req'd]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
susan.kraemer 3:56PM (7/02/2007)
By way of comparison: what are US limits on CO2 emissions - if any?
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L1G 6:17AM (7/03/2007)
Environment ministers of EU member countries has to stop impose the NEDC cycle and to replace it by a realistic target !!! The car markers are only focused on this NEDC cycle, as a consequence they invest money only in technologies whose help to emit fewer CO2 on this cycle. For example, a could greatly improve the mild-hybrid solution. Actually, the mild-hybrid could help to save 15% of the CO2 emission on this NEDC cycle, but if we chose a real trip, it is only 10%. However, if we integrated the information of the integrated GPS to optimised the battery management, we will save more than 20% (the destination has to be save before the trip)! But this excellent idea is useless to pass the NEDC cycle because of it is done in interior (on a bench roller) !!!!!!
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bioburner 7:43PM (7/02/2007)
As far as I know the USA did not ratify the kyoto protocol so there are no CO2 limits. We in the usa use the CAFE standards for our vehicles. I don't know which is better/worse using CO2 limits or gas milage limits.
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atir 9:09AM (7/03/2007)
My car is in European average = 160g/km CO2 which translates to aprox.34 mpg.
USA average is maybe 27 mpg (not sure)which would be about or little over 200g/km.
CO2 levels or gas milage is just different interpretation of the same thing which is consumption.
Average European car is less thirsty, less powerfull, smaller...people sometimes tend to compare consumption without the rest. The other thing is whether people really need all that power and size and weight...endless discussion.
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