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Mike Waters' blog: 11 December 2013 - Upbeat about the CO2 target shift
Date: 11 December 2013
There is a level of uncertainty at the moment around new car emission targets.
A few years ago, a legally binding European target was set for the manufacturers. It stipulated that on average new cars shouldn't emit more than 130g/km CO2 by 2015 and 95g/km in 2020.
Tough objectives, and now the goalposts seem to be shifting as the German government has convincingly argued (backed by the UK and others) that hitting these targets would lead to job losses.
The result seems likely to be that the 2020 targets originally set are revisited with the limit not taking full effect until 2024.
It's a shame because the environmental impact of our vehicles is something that we should take seriously.
No one wants to live in a polluted atmosphere, and there is no doubt that vehicles are major polluters. However, a pragmatic approach is, of course, the right one and we can't focus solely on environmental objectives at all costs.
On the face of it, some will say that moving the end goal constitutes failure; however, I prefer to take a more positive view.
Don't get me wrong, there's still a long way to go and the manufacturers have work to do on R&D and the development of new models, but progress has been made nonetheless.
A combination of environmentally focussed taxation and manufacturer improvements generated by European targets has delivered significant improvement. In 2000, average new-car CO2 emissions were 181g/km; by 2012, this average had fallen to 133g/km (a reduction of 26.5%).
The percentage of low-emission vehicles is also growing quickly, with 55% of the new cars sold in 2012 emitting under 130g/km.
I drive a lot of cars, and the perception that I have is that things are moving in the right direction, and at pace.
The CO2 and mpg improvement I have witnessed in the past five years gives me great confidence for the years to come. The manufacturers are producing greener vehicles, and vehicles that we still want to drive.
So time will tell, but I don't think we need to get too despondent just yet.
