With 297 votes in favor, 190 against, and 37 abstentions, Parliament endorsed the agreement reached with the Council on the Euro 7 regulation, focusing on the type-approval and market surveillance of motor vehicles.
These regulations will necessitate vehicles to adhere to stricter standards for extended periods, ensuring they maintain cleanliness throughout their operational lifespan.
The updated standards will retain the current Euro 6 test conditions and exhaust emissions limits for passenger cars and vans. However, buses and trucks will face more stringent limits on exhaust emissions measured both in laboratory settings and real-world driving conditions, while still upholding the existing Euro VI testing criteria.
In a groundbreaking move, EU standards will now encompass limits on brake particle emissions (PM10) for cars and vans, along with setting minimum performance benchmarks for battery durability in electric and hybrid vehicles.
Furthermore, a comprehensive Environmental Vehicle Passport will be provided for each vehicle upon registration, containing data on its environmental performance at the time of registration. This includes information such as pollutant emission thresholds, CO2 emissions, fuel and electric energy consumption, electric range, and battery durability. Vehicle users will also gain access to real-time data concerning fuel consumption, battery health, pollutant emissions, and other pertinent information generated by onboard systems and monitors.
Formal approval from the Council is still required before the agreement can take effect.
The Commission proposed more stringent air pollutant emissions standards for combustion-engine vehicles, irrespective of the fuel used, on 10 November 2022. These current emission limits apply to cars and vans under Euro 6 standards and to buses, trucks, and other heavy-duty vehicles.
Parliament's adoption of this report reflects its responsiveness to citizens' desires to encourage the acquisition of electric vehicles meeting robust battery life criteria, to further the expansion of digital and electrical infrastructure, and to diminish the EU's reliance on foreign energy sources.
