Dear Reader,

There is a risk that the Euro 7 emissions standard will be delayed. It is true that the proposal which the European Commission has put before the Council of Ministers and the European Parliament appears to be challenging but workable, at least if you believe what German stakeholders are saying. But many other EU member states do not see this in the same way. A majority of countries are currently opposed to the proposal, which essentially involves the alignment of diesel and gasoline emissions thresholds and includes smaller particle sizes and additional harmful gases. It also introduces regulations for tire and brake dust. Although there are tests for these emissions under laboratory conditions, it will be difficult, if not impossible, to measure them as part of the real driving emissions (RDE) test. However, the new tests will, for the first time, include local emissions from electric vehicles. There are also regulations on the service life of batteries. Vocal opponents of the proposal would prefer to see a minimal solution.

The timing is important, particularly for test service providers, because the more stringent emissions standard requires a considerable investment in new testing processes and infrastructure. Any delay in implementing the standard will put refinancing at risk. In addition, elections for the European Parliament are coming up next year. If the proposal is not approved before then, specifically by March 2024, it could disappear during the course of the election campaign as a result of changing priorities. This would mean that the final decision would be delayed indefinitely. If the ban on combustion engines from 2035 remains in place, it will not be possible to guarantee a return on the investment. As things currently stand, the exhaust standard is expected to come into effect in 2025, which is ten years before the phase-out of combustion engines. Even if we take the slow-grinding mills of European legislation out of the equation, this target is still optimistic.

Let's hope for the best, because we have not yet heard the last of the combustion engine.

figure 1

Marc Ziegler

Deputy Editor in Chief