EU Parliament approves zero CO₂ targets for light-duty vehicles in 2035

14 February 2023

The European Parliament endorsed the deal reached with the EU Council on revised CO₂ emission performance standards for new cars and vans. With 340 votes in favor, 279 against, and 21 abstentions, MEPs endorsed new legislation that sets the path towards zero CO₂ emissions for new passenger cars and light commercial vehicles in 2035—an effective ban on the sales of new vehicles powered by internal combustion engines.

The new legislation also includes revisions of the targets for 2030. Intermediate emissions reduction targets for 2030 are set at 55% for cars and 50% for vans, to replace the current 2030 targets of 37.5% for cars and 31% for vans. These targets are relative to the 2021 baseline.

Other key measures foreseen by the regulation include:

• The EU Commission will present by 2025 a methodology to assess and report data on CO₂ emissions throughout the full life-cycle of cars and vans sold on the EU market, accompanied by legislative proposals where appropriate;
• By December 2026, the Commission will monitor the gap between the emission limit values and the real-world fuel and energy consumption data, report on a methodology for adjusting the manufacturers’ specific CO₂ emissions, and propose appropriate follow-up measures;
• Manufacturers with small production volumes in a calendar year—1,000 to 10,000 new cars or 1,000 to 22,000 new vans—may be granted a derogation until the end of 2035. Those registering fewer than 1,000 new vehicles per year continue to be exempt;
• The current zero- and low- emission vehicles (ZLEV) incentive mechanism, which rewards manufacturers that sell more such vehicles (with emissions from zero to 50 g CO₂/km, such as electric vehicles and well-performing plug-in hybrids) with lower CO₂ emission reduction targets, will be adapted to meet expected sales trends. From 2025 to 2029, the ZLEV benchmark is set at 25% for the sales of new cars, and 17% for new vans, and as of 2030 the incentive will be removed;
• Every two years, starting from the end of 2025, the Commission will publish a report to evaluate the progress towards zero-emission road mobility.

The approved text will now have to be formally endorsed by the EU Council before being published in the EU Official Journal.

Source: EU Parliament