Thursday, April 8 2010
In an effort to reduce carbon emissions, the European Commission has set forth fuel efficiency guidelines for vans. The fuel efficiency of vehicles correlates with the level of CO2 emissions that are released by a vehicle.
Van insurance comparison site from The Van Insurer
According to the proposal set forth by the commission, on average, by the year 2016, new vans in Europe should release 175g CO2 per kilometre. This will represent a reduction of 14% over a nine-year period from the 2007 CO2 level of 203g per kilometre. It is interesting to note though that the top diesel fuelled automobiles have made improvements of 27% during the previous two years, the T&E has made the argument that the technology that has been implemented on cars could be used on vans as well.
During the years 2014 through 2016 the new guidelines will be phased in, which will allow the van producers to claim only their cleanest vehicles. However, back in February of 2007, in a non-binding policy document, the European Commission declared that the !75g per kilometre target should be complied with by 2012, and a second target of 160g per kilometre should be made by 2015, the new guidelines show a four-year delay. The Commission has also delayed on including minibuses in the new guidelines.
Additionally, the proposal includes a long-range target of 135g per kilometre to be met by 2020. The way that this target is worded shows that it is not yet set in stone and that this target has the possibility of yet being reviewed.