The German Association of the Automotive Industry believes that the Euro 7 emissions standard passed today by the EU Commission cannot be implemented in the future. It is to apply to passenger cars from July 2025. The industry association also considers implementation for heavy commercial vehicles by July 2027 to be technologically hardly feasible.
“The proposal envisages reducing the limit values by a factor of more than ten while at the same time significantly expanding the test conditions, durability and the introduction of new limits for nitrous oxide, ammonia and brake dust. In doing so, the commission goes well beyond comparable international emissions legislation,” complains VDA President Hildegard Müller.
From the VDA’s point of view, Brussels does not rely on a sense of proportion and feasibility, but rather “on unrealistic extreme goals”. For passenger cars and light commercial vehicles, the limit reductions are nominally lower, but too ambitious in terms of time. A lead time of only one year following the expected binding decision is simply too short.
The VDA also sees unrealistic scenarios and extreme situations in the conditions for the test drives. Here, “worst-case journeys” would be provoked artificially. The draft law also envisages harmonization of the legislation for passenger cars and light commercial vehicles. “Light commercial vehicles are therefore doubly affected by the tightening of legislation. The proposed N2O limit poses a particular challenge for vans with a total weight of more than 3.5 tons. The promise made by the Commission that Euro 7 does not mean a de facto ban on combustion engines has therefore not been kept. The desired limit values are on the very edge of what is technologically feasible,” states Hildegard Müller. (aum)
