Vehicle manufacturers have managed to comply with the limitations imposed by the European Union and none of them exceeded the CO₂ emissions cap in 2021. We tell you how they have achieved it.
The report published by the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) has revealed that none of the manufacturers operating in Europe breached the limits of carbon dioxide emissions (CO₂) taxes by the European Union during the 2021 financial year.
The average goal for that period was 118 grams of CO₂ per kilometer route under the WLTP homologation, which is set taking into account the average mass of the models marketed. According to the report, the average has finally been 114 for 100% of the fleet sold in 2021.
The data of each manufacturer
According to the report, the corporation that has done the best job this past year is the one formed by Tesla, Honda and Jaguar Land Roverwhich achieved a figure of 65 grams, well below the 143 that was set by the EU.
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Volvo, meanwhile, computed 102 grams, 30 less than stipulated. Other relevant brands in the market obtained the following results:
- BMW Group: 116g (-8)
- Daimler: 116g (-6)
- KIA: 105g (-5)
- Hyundai: 107g (-3)
- Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi: 110g (-1)
- VAG Group: 119g (-1)
- Stellantis: 118g
- Mazda, Subaru, Suzuki and Toyota: 116g
Progress in relation to 2020
The situation of the year recently ended clearly contrasts with that of 2020, a year in which the Pool made up of FCA, Tesla and Honda had to face a penalty of €217.5 million.
For their part, Ford and Volvo had to pay 174 million, while the VAG Group paid an approximate amount of 138 million euros. Daimler He was not spared either, having to pay a fine of 210 million euros.
On the side of the brands that did achieve their objectives, they highlighted PSAwhich with 90 g CO₂/km was two grams below its goal (92 g), and BMW, who was required to have an average of 103 g and which ended 2020 with 101 g.
How does the system work
Since 2020, car manufacturers that sell passenger cars and commercial vehicles in the European Union are required to meet the average CO₂ emission targets that we have referred to earlier.
Increasingly strict targets and that many brands, due to the nature of their vehicles, could not comply by themselves, having to face tens or hundreds of millions of euros in fines.
Thus, many of them chose to create what is called “pooling”that is, associations that make it possible to present the results as if they were a single business group in order to lower the average emissions and avoid EU fines.
A clear example of this is the pooling that has lowered its average the most in 2021, the one formed by Honda, Jaguar Land Rover and, here is the key, Tesla. The American brand of electric vehicles receives compensation in exchange for benefits all partiessince it is less than the fine that its ‘associates’ would have to pay to the EU in case of exceeding the emission limit.
In any case, the European Commission does not hinder this trick because in reality what it is looking for is force brands to bet on electric mobility. And he is fully aware that he will only come to fruition if he gives more time to an industry already in too much of a hurry to abandon combustion engines.
The rise of SUVs, heavier and larger cars
This could, at first, contrast with the trend of a market that has SUVs as its main source of income. Not surprisingly, today almost 30% of total sales belong to this segmentthat of larger and heavier vehicles that therefore generate higher CO₂ emissions.
The key is that, as we have previously anticipated, the average emission limit set by the European Union for each brand directly depends on the mass of the vehicles it sells. Therefore, the higher the weight, the greater the emissions margin. With SUVs, they are all advantages, because it is also a type of vehicle that potential buyers currently like more than any other.
The limit imposed by the EU is 95 g/km of CO₂. And every brand has to pay 95 euros to be multiplied by the total number of cars sold. However, in practice, each brand has a different limit, since the average weight of vehicles sold throughout the continent and in each brand is also taken into account.
A) Yes, the actual calculation comes out of the following formula: the maximum emission limit is the sum of 95 + 0.0333 x (average weight of the manufacturer – average weight of vehicles sold in Europe).
This makes small vehicle manufacturers lose out and that is one of the reasons why brands like Smart have chosen to fully electrify their range.
Eco-innovations
The gibberish of calculating the CO₂ emission target does not end here, as eco-innovations also come into play, that is, initiatives whose effectiveness in reducing emissions has been scientifically proven.
An example of this can be LED headlights, which allow savings in relation to halogens or other types of lighting. In total, the limit can be increased by up to 7 grams with these types of innovations.
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Finally, we must take into account another statistic, that of vehicles registered with CO₂ emissions below 50 g/km. And it is that each of them counted in 2020 as two registered vehicles, although in 2021 this was reduced to 1.67 and in 2022 it will drop to 1.33. Already in 2023, all vehicles will count as one, regardless of their level of emissions.
All this explains the creation of poolingthe increase in the supply and sales of zero or low emission vehicles and, finally, the absence of any fines for manufacturers after the 2021 results.