EU Court of Auditors: Hardly fewer car emissions – despite strict rules

Despite ambitious EU climate targets and strict requirements from Brussels, most cars today still emit just as many greenhouse gases as they did twelve years ago. The hope: more electric cars.

The EU has significantly curbed emissions of climate-damaging gases in some areas over the past few decades – just not in transport. This still accounts for around a quarter of EU emissions. A large part of it comes from the exhausts of cars. According to a study by the European Court of Auditors, existing regulations have done little to change this.

According to the authority, emissions from new cars on the roads barely fell in the decade before 2020. The engines became more and more powerful, but also more horsepower, and the cars became heavier. The result, according to the Luxembourg authorities: Despite ambitious climate goals and strict requirements, most cars still emit just as many greenhouse gases in everyday use as they did twelve years ago.

Laboratory and reality

According to the Luxembourg auditors, vehicle manufacturers have focused more on reducing CO2 emissions measured in the laboratory than on actual ones. According to the Court of Auditors, they used loopholes in the regulations.

The gap between street and laboratory values ​​has increased significantly over the past 20 years. Most recently there was a difference of almost 40 percent between the two sizes. As a result of the diesel scandal, the requirements were tightened. According to the inspectors, this reduced, but did not eliminate, the difference between emissions measured on the test bench and those caused during driving.

Fuel consumption meters in vehicles now make it possible to calculate the difference between emissions in practical operation and in the laboratory more precisely. In 2021 it was 18 percent for diesel vehicles, 24 percent for gasoline vehicles and an average of 250 percent for plug-in hybrids.

According to the Association of the German Automotive Industry, every second car sold in Europe comes from a German manufacturer. The association also emphasizes that the consumption and range of vehicles on the chassis dynamometer are determined according to a legally prescribed, globally recognized and harmonized test procedure.

Bad grades for Hybrid vehicles

Hybrid vehicles do not fare well in the Luxembourg authorities’ assessment. According to the study, they caused significantly higher emissions when driving than in the laboratory. The reason: The combustion engine is used more frequently than expected, particularly in company cars. As a rule, companies bear the fuel costs, and so there is no financial incentive for employees to charge the batteries.

Nevertheless, plug-in hybrids are still considered low-emission vehicles – according to the Court of Auditors, an advantage worth billions for car manufacturers without making a significant contribution to climate protection. The EU has no chance of achieving its climate goals with classic combustion engines or hybrid vehicles alone.

Neglectful authorities

The Court of Auditors also criticizes the fact that EU decisions are being implemented carelessly in the member states. For example, national authorities use type approval to confirm that a vehicle type produced in large numbers meets the legal requirements.

In Germany, the Federal Motor Transport Authority was able to confirm for 2020 and 2021 that the manufacturers had checked the required minimum number of vehicles – the responsible authorities in Italy and the Netherlands did not provide any corresponding evidence. In all three countries examined, authorities’ reviews for 2020 did not provide sufficient assurance of data quality, according to the study. According to the Court of Auditors, the data contained incorrect values ​​or missing information.

Hope electric cars

Unlike in the previous two decades, emissions from newly registered vehicles in practical driving have steadily declined in the past three years – a result of more electric cars on Europe’s roads. In 2018, only one in 100 newly registered vehicles was purely battery-powered, while last year it was one in seven.

But according to the Court of Auditors, the EU is having difficulty helping electric cars finally achieve a breakthrough. There is a lack of the necessary raw materials, production capacity for batteries needs to be increased, the prices for electric cars are too high and significantly more charging stations are needed.

A tour of Europe in an electric car is currently difficult. Two thirds of all EU charging stations are concentrated in just three countries: Germany, France and the Netherlands.