EU Clamps Down on Van Emissions
2 Nov
The commercial vehicle industry has been told that they must reduce the emissions of new vans by 14% by 2016 to avoid facing heavy fines. New regulations are expected to be announced that will force the industry to increase research and development in order to remain profitable. While many companies are trying to reduce emissions the new regulations will put a clear limit on what they can get away with.
The average carbon emission per fleet of vans for sale will need to be cut from around 203 grams to 175 grams by 2016. By 2020 the limit is expected to be reduced further to only 135 grams of carbon. The announcement has been delayed in recent weeks due to while details were debated. Several country who rely on the automotive industry had called for the new regulations to be delayed until 2017.
The European Union also want the industry to increase average mpg figures for all vans by 2014. This will conserve fuel and help to reduce pollution. They want an average value of 43mpg for all van fleets which has been contested by the SMMT. While they support the action to increase efficiency they feel that there is not enough time and money to achieve the increase by 2014.
‘Vans are an integral part of the European economy and, at a time of economic downturn and belt-tightening, businesses do not have the capacity to invest in new products.’
Paul Everitt chief executive SMMT
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