The EU’s Council of Ministers has agreed on new rules for the upcoming Euro 7 classification. The new requirements concern, among other things, carbon dioxide emissions, particles from tires and brakes and how emission levels are tested for trucks.
Denmark, the Netherlands and Luxembourg voted no, but enough people voted in favor of the new proposal, where, among other things, the current limits for carbon dioxide emissions from passenger cars are kept, while it is lowered somewhat for trucks.
Sweden’s Minister of Foreign Trade Johan Forssell (M) was the one who participated in the decisive meeting on Monday and he says that it is a good compromise that has been made. He further says that it is important to find a balance both between the importance of having tough emission requirements while at the same time having to cope with the green transition. In addition, you also have to look at the costs and how we use our resources in the best way.
A number of major car manufacturers and governments have previously accused the EU Commission’s proposed new regulations (not least regarding emissions of nitrogen oxides) of being so demanding that it could rather inhibit the conversion to electricity. The reason is that large sums of money and a lot of time would have to be spent on complying with the rules for vehicles with internal combustion engines – a technology that is still on the way to being phased out. But among other things, the countries that voted no thought that the proposal had been watered down too much.
The new requirements concern cars, vans, trucks and buses and cover all fuels and powertrains. A novelty compared to Euro 6 is that the new regulation also contains rules for particle emissions from brakes and tires. There will also be a change in how emissions tests for trucks must be done, where the driving conditions must more closely mimic real driving. Limits for the functional durability of electric vehicle batteries are also included as news.
According to an earlier estimate from the Commission, the new rules mean that a Euro 7 truck will be at least SEK 25 000 more expensive. It is unclear whether the estimate still applies now that the requirements have been adjusted after negotiation.
Before the EU Commission’s proposal can become a reality, it must be negotiated in the EU Parliament. However, the Commission hopes that the requirements will come into force on 1 July 2025 for cars and vans and 1 July 2027 for trucks and buses.