High-octane fuels to play major role in reaching EU clean-mobility targets
PRESS RELEASE
9 November 2017, Brussels: The European Fuel Oxygenates Association (EFOA) welcomes the proposal for revised CO2 standards for new passenger cars and for new light commercial vehicles published by the European Commission, as it marks an important step towards greener mobility in Europe.
The Commission’s Impact Assessment recognises that around 95% of vehicles on Europe’s roads still have an internal combustion engine (ICEs), which means that upgrading ICEs and improving the quality of fuels will offer significant benefits.
Reducing emissions
Firstly, EFOA believes that high-quality, high-octane fuels combined with high-performance engines can play a key role in reducing emissions from passenger cars.
For instance, a realistic 7% lower fuel consumption through higher octane would save 20 million tonnes of CO2 per year.
EFOA calls upon the European institutions involved in the co-decision process to fully recognise this potential.
This could not only benefit the petrol fleet but would also contribute to the transition towards zero-carbon mobility.
A realistic 7% lower fuel consumption through higher octane would save 20 million tonnes of CO2 per year
“Currently, 96.8% of the yearly fleet mileage of electric vehicles is covered by hybrid cars,” comments EFOA Secretary General Ewa Abramiuk Lété. “High-octane petrol helps by increasing the fuel efficiency and emission-reduction potential of hybrid cars, making them a more attractive option.”
“I strongly believe that the Commission’s proposal could be improved to bring about rapid and cost-effective emissions reductions in Europe.”
Flexible solutions
Finally, current transport policy needs a variety of measures and decarbonisation solutions.
Giving an equal opportunity to different technologies should be an important part of the future approach, in order to deliver a policy that brings real change to CO2 and air-pollution levels.
As such, the focus on measuring the tailpipe emissions should be changed in order to fully capture the CO2 emission reduction of vehicles.
While EFOA supports legislation that encourages a progress towards low-emission transport, we believe that focus on incentives to specific technologies would make the emission-reduction process much costlier than necessary.
It will also miss out on opportunities for more rapid and cost-effective solutions available today.
Read EFOA position paper on CO2 standards for light-duty vehicles here.
ENDS
For more information, please contact Ewa Abramiuk Lété +32 2 67 67 278