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Stakeholders were presented with new input for the revision of the Euro pollutant emission standards last week by CLOVE, the consortium of technical experts preparing these options for the European Commission.

The new scenarios address some of the issues raised by CLEPA and industry stakeholders following an earlier presentation last October. However, the new options do not yet represent final decisions and will be subject to further debate, before the Commission then undertakes the formal impact assessment in preparation of a legal proposal. The legal proposal on Euro7 is expected at the end of 2021.

The Commission is preparing for a new stage in the Euro standards, or Euro 7, as part of its ambitious objectives under the EU Green Deal. Changes to the EURO standards are of great relevance to many in the automotive supply industry, and very technical in nature.

The new options suggest somewhat more feasible testing conditions than earlier discussions had indicated: Proposed limit values apply mostly to normal driving situations. More challenging situations, such as towing, are also recommended for testing, but with acknowledgment of the technical demands at hand. Emissions from engines’ “cold start” are proposed to be regulated via an “emission budget” for cars and lorries reducing the weighting of the cold start emissions to bring it more in line with its statistical significance as recommended by CLEPA and other stakeholders.

The regulated pollutants are proposed to be expanded to include PN10, NMOG, NH3, HCHO, CH4, and brake emissions. For the regulated Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions, a dedicated limit or CO2-equivalent limit is still under discussion. CLEPA argues for a CO2-equivalent solution. For brake emissions, the consultants recommend including a methodology to measure that these follow the work at the UNECE level.

CLEPA will continue to monitor the developments closely and offer expert advice throughout the process. The CLEPA position paper on Euro7 can be found here.