by Peter Holderith (The Drive) … The extremely stringent Euro 7 emissions regulations could be blocked in the European Union after it was announced Monday that eight countries signed a letter objecting to the legislation’s passage. These countries constitute a large enough bloc to stop the regulations from advancing any further and call for Euro 7 to be scrapped in its entirety, Automotive News reports.
France, Italy, Poland, Bulgaria, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Romania, and Slovakia all signed the letter. Germany did not sign the document, although its transportation minister, Volker Wissing, has been very vocal and very skeptical of Euro 7. Germany was likewise one of the leaders in the successful effort to carve out so-called E-fuels from the EU’s all-out 2035 internal combustion ban. E-fuels are effectively sustainable synthetic gasoline, made from a synthesis of hydrogen and carbon dioxide using green energy.
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This letter does not necessarily signal the complete death of Euro 7. It is not a formal legal action, but it is a very strong statement that signals a possible plateau in the efforts of European regulators to further clean up the environmental footprint of passenger cars, whether that be emissions from vehicles’ tailpipes or particulates from their tires and brake pads. READ MORE
Europe’s Euro 7 emission limits face pushback from eight countries (Automotive News Europe)
EU car emission limits face pushback from eight members -document (Reuters)
Eight EU countries oppose bloc’s car emissions limits (AFP/Yahoo!)
Italy leads revolt against Europe’s electric vehicle transition (CBS News)
Excerpt from Automotive News Europe: The countries said the tougher limits for pollutants could divert crucial investments needed to reach the EU’s goal of effectively banning new combustion engine vehicles after 2035.
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The Euro 7 regulation seeks to tighten rules on pollutants other than CO2, such as carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxides. The rules also aim to tackle particulates from brakes and tires.
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Excerpt from Reuters: The countries said these limits would force carmakers to invest in improving exhaust emissions performance, money which would be better spent on developing zero-emission vehicles.
Taken together, the countries would have enough votes to block the proposal.
The European Commission says the rules – which apply only to new vehicles, not those already on the roads – are needed to cut health-damaging emissions and prevent a repeat of so-called Dieselgate scandal, where companies cheated the rules.
The law would also toughen emissions testing, requiring carmakers to use on-board pollution monitoring systems. READ MORE