Council and European Parliament reached a provisional agreement on new rules to reduce road transport emissions for passenger cars, vans, buses, trucks and trailers.

According to both institutions, the regulation for the type-approval and market surveillance of motor vehicles (Euro 7) aims to support the transition towards clean mobility and keep the prices of private and commercial vehicles affordable for citizens and businesses. Vehicles will need to comply with the new standards for longer, ensuring they remain cleaner throughout their lifetime.

For passenger cars and vans, negotiators agreed to maintain the current Euro 6 test conditions and exhaust emissions limits. At Parliament’s request, the number of exhaust particles will be measured at the level of PN10 (instead of PN23, thereby including smaller particles).

For buses and trucks, the agreed text includes stricter limits for exhaust emissions measured in laboratories (e.g. NOx limit of 200mg/kWh) and in real driving conditions (NOx limit of 260 mg/kWh), while maintaining the current Euro VI testing conditions.

“With Euro 7 we aim to reduce road vehicle emissions, not only from exhaust, but also from brakes or tyres. At the same time, we aim to help our industry make the big leap to near-zero emissions vehicles by 2035,” Jordi Hereu i Boher, Spanish minister for industry and tourism, said.

Fewer particle emissions from tyres and brakes, increased battery durability

The deal sets brake particles emissions limits (PM10) for cars and vans (3mg/km for pure electric vehicles; 7mg/km for most internal combustion engine (ICE), hybrid electric and fuel cell vehicles and 11mg/km for large ICE vans). It also introduces minimum performance requirements for battery durability in electric and hybrid cars (80% from start of life to five years or 100 000 km and 72% up to eight years or 160 000km) and vans (75% from start of life to five years or 100 000 km and 67% up to eight years or 160 000km).

Environmental Vehicle Passport

The text foresees an Environmental Vehicle Passport, to be made available for each vehicle and containing information on its environmental performance at the moment of registration (such as pollutant emission limits, CO2 emissions, fuel and electric energy consumption, electric range, battery durability). Vehicle users will also have access to up-to-date information about fuel consumption, battery health, pollutant emissions and other relevant information generated by on-board systems and monitors. Moreover, car manufacturers will have to design their vehicles so as to prevent tampering with emissions control systems through the digitalisation of automobile monitoring.

Application dates

The deal foresees different dates of application after the regulation enters into force:

- 30 months for new types of cars and vans, and 42 months for new vehicles.

- 48 months for new types of buses, trucks and trailers, and 60 months for new vehicles.

- 30 months for new systems, components, or separate technical units to be fitted in cars and vans, and 48 months for those to be fitted in buses, trucks, and trailers.

Industry welcomes planning certainty but flags technical and investment challenges

According to the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA), Euro 7 marks a major milestone in Europe’s world-leading record of setting emissions standards for cars, vans, trucks and buses and provides planning certainty going forward.

“Although we will only understand the full details once we can assess the entire document, we note that the inter-institutional negotiators have principally opted to prioritise future-oriented challenges, such as light-duty vehicle brake emissions and electric vehicle battery requirements. Exhaust emission limits and test procedures for heavy-duty vehicles were significantly tightened as well,” stated Sigrid de Vries, ACEA Director General.??

“It is important to note that many of the new provisions bring significant technical and investment challenges at a crucial time in the zero-emission mobility transformation,” de Vries added.