Tag: footprint

  • Greener cars for the EU

    Greener cars for the EU

    As of 2035 the
    European Union is phasing out the sale of new vehicles running on diesel and
    petrol. Member states
    have reached a final agreement on the proposal, and the vote was given at a
    meeting of EU energy ministers.


    Under the new rules, in the next 12 years
    vehicle CO2 emissions are to be cut by 55% compared to 2021 figures. As for
    vans, the target is 50% by 2035, but as of that date emissions are to be cut by
    100%, which means the end of internal combustion engine production. This type
    of engines will be allowed nonetheless after that date, provided that they use
    climate-neutral e-fuels. This exemption is the outcome of Germany’s pushback on
    the new legislation over the past month.


    Climate-neutral fuels, currently under
    development, are synthetic and their use generates emissions, however their
    neutrality is given by the fact that they are produced by capturing CO2 from
    the atmosphere using electricity from renewable sources, and the same amount of
    CO2 captured for their production is released through their use.


    Biofuels will also be banned as of 2035, on
    grounds that they are generated in agriculture and already have a carbon
    footprint. The use of environment-friendly fuels will be regulated in
    subsequent legislation. But experts are already wondering what type of energy
    will be accepted in order to produce them.


    One option could be nuclear electricity, a
    resource increasingly appreciated by the European Commission for EU’s
    transition to an emission-free economy. Countries like France, Poland and
    Romania are trying to obtain recognition and advantages for the production of both
    the electricity itself, and of synthetic fuels like hydrogen. Opposing the use
    of nuclear energy are Germany, Austria and Spania.


    Meanwhile, Norway has set the tightest deadline for giving up internal combustion engines. The country is a world leader
    in terms of electric car market share, with nearly 79% of the sales in 2022
    consisting in plug-in electric vehicles.


    Internal combustion engines are being
    phased out precisely as the sales of Dacia,
    the car made by the French group Renault in Piteşti, Romania, among other
    locations, have been rising across Europe. According to
    the company, Dacia is ranking 3rd
    in Europe by sales to individual buyers, accounting for a record-high 7.6%
    market share. Ford is the
    second-largest player in the Romanian automotive market, thanks to a production
    facility in Craiova operated by the Turkish-US joint ventureFord Otosan. (AMP)