2023-06-17 00:00:00
“I can’t imagine how this is supposed to work in such a short time.”
If Thomas Hametner from the ÖAMTC has his way, the timely implementation of the Euro 7 emissions standard is unrealistic for a number of reasons. “First of all, you have to assume that car manufacturers need a development time of 36 months to develop technical specifications and implement them in series production. Accordingly, the framework conditions should have been fixed by mid-2022. However, the draft currently being discussed comprises just 40 pages without any technical details .” For comparison: The comparable paper on which the current Euro 6d standard is based is around 900 pages thick. In addition, it is not enough for new vehicles to comply with the new limit values. Rather, all models would have to be retypified. “For BMW alone, that would be more than 400 different vehicle types, and for Volkswagen even more than 500,” says the head of technology, testing and safety at the ÖAMTC. “With the best will in the world, I can’t imagine any authority that could do this job in such a short time.”
Stricter limit values and test conditions for Euro-7 delivery tests
Another point of criticism from the ÖAMTC technician is the general conditions under which exhaust gas tests are to take place in the future. “Based on the current Euro 6d standard, the cars are really a lot cleaner compared to the past,” says Thomas Hametner. “You could have continued working from this point. But instead you not only lowered the limit values, but also tightened the test conditions.” With Euro-7, the so-called conformity factor is to be abolished, which currently still allows deviations in measurements in road use (“RDE”, stands for Real Driving Emissions). Under the name “Any Driving”, the tests are to be carried out in the future under much more extreme conditions than before. “The current status of the bill would allow an exhaust gas test to be started at sub-zero temperatures at the foot of the Großglockner, which would of course falsify the result,” explains Thomas Hametner. “Basically, we assume that the car manufacturers have the technical requirements and also the resources to comply with any type of emissions standard. The question is, however, at what cost?
Production of small, affordable cars endangered by Euro 7 emissions standard?
If it is not possible to find a compromise in implementation, there is a realistic risk that there will be no small, affordable cars in the future.”
The Association of European Automobile Manufacturers (ACEA) recently published a study according to which the costs for manufacturers due to Euro 7 are four to ten times higher than those estimated by the EU Commission. Accordingly, the current proposal would increase the production costs of combustion cars by around 2000 euros.
The ARBÖ also sees imminent price increases in the prices for new vehicles as a risk: “If fundamentally well-intentioned measures lead to individual mobility becoming unaffordable at the end of the day, then that cannot be the right way,” says Rupert Brugger, federal training manager and Head of technology at ARBÖ. “If the costs rise, consumers will ultimately have to pay for them. The direct consequence of this is already foreseeable today: people drive their old vehicles longer than before – and in the end nothing is gained for the climate either.”
VCÖ: The auto industry can afford to make adjustments
Criticism that Christian Gratzer, spokesman for the Austrian Traffic Club (VCÖ), does not want to accept: “The car industry was extremely successful economically in 2022, the five largest manufacturers alone earned a total of 64 billion euros. The companies can take advantage of the technical make adjustments very well.” The industry had already vehemently resisted emissions standards in the past, and it was always argued that it was not technically feasible.
“From a health perspective, the particulate matter problem in particular must be solved. Tire abrasion is already the main source of air pollution in cities, which makes us ill,” says Christian Gratzer.
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