Search the Community

Not unexpected since the original proposal is not practicable financially in short. Stricter emissions standards for trucks and buses but not for cars and vans Several automakers, including Stellantis, Volkswagen, Skoda, and others, have been very critical regarding the strict upcoming Euro 7 emissions regulations on the Old Continent. Some executives even described them as “useless” but it seems that there is some light at the end of the tunnel for the critics of the new standards. Just moments ago as of writing this article, European Union ministers agreed on new and watered-down rules. After facing opposition from automakers and member countries, including France, Italy, the Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia, the ministers agreed not to implement significant changes to the existing Euro 6 standards for cars and vans. There will be stricter regulations for buses and heavy vehicles, though. However, the decision isn’t final yet. Spain, which holds the rotating EU presidency, presented the compromise text that gained the agreement of the Council of the European Union, composed of EU ministers. The final form of the law must be discussed and signed by the Council, the European Parliament, and the European Commission. "We believe that, with this proposal, we achieved broad support, a balance in the investment costs of the manufacturing brands and we improve the environmental benefits derived from this regulation," Spain's minister for industry, trade and tourism, Hector Gomez Hernandez, commented. “The member states’ position is an improvement on the European Commission’s Euro 7 proposal – which was entirely disproportionate, driving high costs for industry and customers, with limited environmental benefits,” the European Automobile Manufacturers Association director, Sigrid de Vries, added. “The Council’s aim to continue the effective Euro 6 tests is sensible. However, compared to what is in place today, Euro 7 is much broader for new cars, vans and, in particular, heavy-duty vehicles, requiring significant engineering and testing efforts.” As ironic as it may sound, the automakers in Europe have said that the initially proposed stricter emissions standards could lead to slower adoption of electric vehicles. The Euro 7 in its earlier form would distract the companies from investing in EVs, Renault CEO Luca de Meo said recently, while Skoda's head honcho Klaus Zellmer admitted that building small cars under the stricter emissions could be impossible.

The combustion engine is living on borrowed time. https://www.motor1.com/photo/5822112/2022-mercedes-maybach-s680/ A recent (and rather shocking) proposal made by the European Commission calls for the end of new ICE car sales as early as 2035. That has to be voted by the 27 members of the European Union in order for the ban to come into effect, but in the meantime, automakers will likely be forced to shave off their gasoline and diesel offerings. Why? Euro 7 regulations are inbound. Expected to come into force in 2025, the more stringent CO2 emissions will put small cars powered by internal combustion engines in jeopardy. The reason being is that it will be tricky for automakers to still make a profit after tweaking the gasoline and diesel engines to make them comply with regulations. The same holds true for high-performance cars with their typically gas-guzzling engines. For these reasons, Mercedes is thinking ahead and it's planning to eliminate many engine variants. In an interview with Autocar, the three-pointed star's Chief operating officer Markus Schäfe admitted Mercedes will basically halve its engine variants later this decade: "[We] will reduce the number of engine variants, going through Euro 7, by about 50 percent." With the next-gen AMG C63 switching from a V8 to an electrified version of the AMG A45's four-cylinder engine, the transformation is about to start. How will Euro 7 change engines? According to proposals made by the European Commission's Consortium for Ultra Low Vehicle Emissions (Clove), cars could be fitted with a multi-stage "supercatalyst." The same British publication looked at the documents and found out gasoline-fueled cars could get a heated electric catalyst, dual three-way catalysts, a particulate filter, and an ammonia slip catalyst. Not only that, but Euro 7-compliant cars might feature a diagnostics system built into the car's computers to analyze the engine at all times and make sure it meets emissions for 150,000 miles (241,400 kilometers). It all sounds quite expensive to implement, which is why we'll be hearing from other automakers about their plans to simplify the engine portfolio. It would seem the Euro 7 will be another nail in the internal combustion engine's coffin, effectively forcing automakers to accelerate the switch to EVs. Several brands have already announced plans to transition to an all-electric lineup by the end of the decade, including Jaguar (2025), Opel (2028), Ford of Europe (2030), Volvo (2030), Bentley (2030), and others.