On June 5th in the European Parliament, the European Aluminium Association advocated for more ambitious and more objective targets for the reduction of CO2 emissions from passenger cars. As invited panellist expert on the public hearing held by the European Parliament's EPP-ED political group, our Director for automotive and transport Bernard Gilmont demonstrated why emission targets based on the mass of vehicles are not likely to ensure that the overall reduction goal of an average 130g/km of CO2 will be met. Nor will the legislative measure proposed by the European Commission be able to ensure that the car manufacturers, who voluntarily committed to reach 140g/km by 2008 and did not deliver at all, fulfil this objective by 2015. For this to happen effectively, the basis for the calculation of targets should be the footprint (i.e. size) of the cars, not their mass, and the emission targets for each year after 2012 should be calculated in function of the latest market data available, and not on the theoretical figures that the Commission proposes to take as a basis.
Detailing the points made in the EAA position paper on the issue, B. Gilmont explained why the current proposal, beside not being environmentally effective, also puts some of the most straightforward emission reduction methods such as lightweighting at a disctinctive competitive disadvantage by lack of technological neutrality.
The EAA also seized the opportunity to distribute to all participants a briefing document addressing the most common misconceptions on the footprint-based and mass-based approaches to emission reduction. In this paper, explanation is provided on why the proposed draft regulation is not likely to meet its environmental target, on how the USA are about to take a definite environmental lead over Europe in the field of automotive, and what Brussels could do to live up to the ambition of leading the battle against climate change.
To learn more, please contact:
Zoltan Precsenyi
Public Affairs and Communication Manager
+32 277 56 345
precsenyi@eaa.be
To learn about the significant contribution of aluminium to the safety and sustainability of automotive transport, please read EAA's factsheet on Aluminium in Cars.
