T&E says loopholes in EU CO2 regulation could implicate electric vehicles in emissions increases
Thu 12 November 2009
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Transport and Environment (T&E) says that electric cars can play a role in tackling climate change but that current EU legislation contains loopholes which are likely to lead to emissions rising rather than falling. In a new report - “How to Avoid an Electric Shock - Electric Cars from Myth to Reality” - T&E says that binding EU targets for car CO2 emissions agreed last year include 'supercredits' that enable carmakers to sell more than 3 high emission vehicles for every EV they sell and still reach their regulated EU target. Under the regulations, EVs are counted as zero emission vehicles, ignoring the 'upstream' emissions arising when electricity is generated.
The combined effect of these loopholes, says T&E, is that carmakers who choose to market electric cars to meet EU targets, would have to do less to reduce the emissions of the conventional cars they sell. The overall effect would be higher CO2 emissions and oil use.
T&E's report is critical of EU policy for not setting targets for CO2 emissions and fuel efficiency regardless of the technology used. It says that industry and policy makers have relied too much on 'distant dream' technologies to solve environmental and other problems. Hydrogen, biofuels, and earlier interest in electric cars all came to nothing for different reasons but what they have in common is that they all distracted policymakers from forcing carmakers to improve fuel efficiency across the board.
T&E's Director, Jos Dings, said: “The game for policymakers is cutting emissions and reducing our dependence on oil, not promoting electric cars. The EU must not take its eye off the ball again, and get distracted by technological hype. For electric cars to be a success for the environment, and for the industry, pressure on fuel efficiency and CO2 emissions for all cars must be kept up. Promoting electric cars without maintaining pressure on fuel efficiency standards, will kill any chance of success.”
Transport & Environment is calling for current and future loopholes to be dropped and CO2 / fuel efficiency standards to be tightened further.
'Supercredits' like those included in the Cars and CO2 regulations are also included in legislation proposed last month to improve the CO2 emissions of vans.
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