European carmakers have openly questioned the EU’s 2021 car emissions goals, rejecting tougher reduction targets planned for 2030. They claim the bloc’s climate targets and its push toward more e-cars will cost jobs.
The European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) admitted on Tuesday that Europe’s car industry would find it hard to meet the EU’s 2021 target of 95 grams of CO2 per kilometer (57.4 miles per gallon) for average fleet emissions, and flatly rejected an EU proposal for steeper cuts beyond 2030.
Erik Jonnaert, the head of the industry group, told Germany’s Deutsche Presse-Agentur news agency that there was “a lot of concern” among carmakers about how they should meet the ambitious targets.
Jonnaert noted that currently carmaker’s most modern fleets emit about 118.5 g/km of CO2 on average. By 2021, the EU Commission wanted fleet emissions to be cut by 20 percent, and was planning on reducing them by a further 30 percent by 2030.
“Of course it feels good to have high reduction targets on paper, but we want to make sure that whatever is put on paper, at least for our industry, we can deliver,” he said.
The EU goals are part of global efforts to reduce CO2 emissions — a greenhouse gas, which experts blame for causing climate change. Car fleet emissions in Europe have started to rise again, as more and more buyers are worried about likely diesel car bans in European cities.
Although diesel engines spew out less CO2, they emit more hazardous substances like nitrogen oxides, causing authorities to worry about air quality, notably in cities. Another source of rising CO2 emissions is said to be an increase in sports utility vehicles (SUVs), which have grown popular with customers in recent years.
Jobs on the line
In the interview with DPA, Jonnaert said that higher reductions of more than 20 percent were “unrealistic” against this background and “despite all efforts” by carmakers.
In an effort to substantiate its claims, the ACEA also published a study by US-based FTI Consulting, saying that the EU’s emission targets and its forced push for electric cars are threatening manufacturing jobs in the car industry.