A new proposal from the European Commission would relax CO2 targets for Europe’s automakers as US regulatory bodies are reconsidering their emissions policies. The new proposal would undermine emissions standards set for until the end of 2027. Under the proposal, automakers’ emissions compliance would not be assessed until the end of 2027. Initially, automakers were to be assessed yearly with penalties for those found to be in noncompliance.
The New Proposal Would Give Automakers A Breathing Room
However, the proposal widens that window, theoretically giving automakers more time to meet CO2 emissions requirements: “During the period 2025 to 2027, manufacturers should ensure that the average specific emissions of CO2 of their vehicles do not exceed an emissions target, calculated as the average of their annual specific emissions targets over the period.” Instead, the new proposal states that compliance assessments will move to a three-year interval, though this does not mean the targets are necessarily changing.
Automakers will have more leeway in how long and what methods they use to hit the same CO2 targets: “allow[ing] a one-off flexibility for those three years in the calculation of the compliance with the CO2 emission performance standards, while maintaining the targets for reducing CO2 emissions.”
The proposal even suggests one way of meeting the requirements: pooling. For the unfamiliar, automakers “pool” together their emissions outputs. The electric Polestar above is used to offset the carbon footprint of gas-powered models from Volvo, also on sale in the EU. This takes place under the same parent company, Geely, in this case, but automakers like Ford do it with others like Tesla too, where the Tesla EV fleet helps to offset sales of gas-powered Ford models across Europe.
However, there are some steps that have to be taken before automakers are granted this new level of leeway. The proposals will need to be voted on by the European Parliament and the European Council before they become law for EU member states.
TopSpeed’s Take
Emissions pooling is a somewhat disingenuous way of reducing carbon emissions. Ford’s partnership with Tesla means the Blue Oval can skirt emissions requirements by pointing at Tesla’s ultra-low emissions, for example. It doesn’t push automakers to create new, less harmful vehicles themselves, while they’re able to piggyback off the successes of others. This additional bit of leeway may provide automakers time to find a better way to reduce emissions compliance, but it could also result in a whole lot of stalling until 2027.
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