2024-03-20 17:57:39
Volkswagen Group wants European regulators to scrap carbon dioxide emissions targets due to come into force next year. Under the new rules, carmakers who fail to meet the targets will pay hefty fines. VW must cut emissions by around 15 percent next year, market research firm JATO Dynamics announced, just as demand for electric cars in Europe is falling.
From 2025, EU car manufacturers must reduce the amount of CO2 emitted by new fleets, a task that will be made even more difficult with the introduction of the new measurement standard, which is more in line with real-world driving conditions.
The CO2 emissions of the average fleet of European car manufacturers will be subject to the stricter regulations of the WLTP emissions measurement system from 2025, replacing the NEDC measurement system, which does not realistically reflect consumption. Car manufacturers operating in Europe will have to reduce average CO2 emissions from new cars to 93.6 g/km in 2025, based on the WLTP cycle, from the 2021 standard of 95 g/km, in the NEDC cycle.
Failure to comply with the new rules will result in a fine of €95 for each vehicle registered in the European Union, multiplied on an annual basis by each CO2 g/km above the specified limit. Volkswagen is now lobbying the EU to increase the emissions limit, and one option is to buy credits from companies that meet the targets – such as Tesla. So an electric car manufacturer can sell its zero emissions to those who have a problem with European regulations. Tesla has earned about $9 billion so far.
“It makes no sense for the industry to pay fines if the framework conditions for the increase in electric cars are not established,” VW Group CEO Oliver Blume said during the presentation of the company’s annual results.
Incentives in European countries are disappearing and car prices remain high. VW revealed plans on Wednesday to launch 30 new and redesigned models across the group this year to boost sales momentum, many of which will be electric, including the Porsche Macan Electric, Audi Q6 E-tron and VW ID7. In Germany, Europe’s biggest market, sales of electric cars fell after the government cut subsidies.