EU car makers seek to tackle decarbonisation
Fri 03 June 2016
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The European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) has published an expert report entitled 'Joining forces to tackle the road transport C02 challenge', assessing the impact of new vehicles on emissions.
ACEA says that significant steps have been made in car technology, including variable valve timing, turbocharging, stop-start systems and direct injection technology, as well as continued investment into alternative powertrains. As a result, the average new car coming on to the road in 2021 will produce 42% less CO2 per kilometre than a new car bought in 2005. As the ‘fleet’ is renewed (every time a new car arrives on the road and replaces an old car), the benefits of these new technologies become increasingly clear.
The report says that additional future CO2 emissions reductions require a more comprehensive approach. The evolving policy framework should therefore include and support a broader mix of technologies and approaches, including road infrastructure, alternative fuels, innovative in-car technologies and more environmentally friendly driving techniques.
In order to better understand how the technologies and approaches available can deliver the greatest impact, ACEA brought a wide range of stakeholders together to learn from their expertise and knowledge, and to capture their views in this report. This has led to over 50 stakeholders joining ACEA in launching the initiative.
The initiative was based around a consultation exercise involving businesses, trade associations, NGOs, research bodies and think tanks. Its purpose is to identify the technologies and approaches that, according to the various stakeholders, can have the greatest impact on reducing CO2 emissions from cars and light commercial vehicles (by 2030) and to strive to quantify the potential benefits for each, bearing in mind that these are not accumulative. It also aims to map out key policy changes necessary for such technologies or approaches to deliver their fullest CO2 emissions reduction potential.
The study divided across four workstreams: fuel options, intelligent transport systems (ITS) and the connected car, road infrastructure and eco-driving.
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