On March 18th, it was reported that the European Parliament plenary session approved the "Euro 7" emission standards with a vote of 297 in favor, 190 against, and 37 abstentions. The new standards are scheduled to be implemented starting from July 1, 2025.
It is understood that for passenger cars and light commercial vehicles, the current "Euro 6" test conditions and exhaust emission limits will remain unchanged. For buses and trucks, exhaust emissions measured under laboratory and real driving conditions will be subject to stricter limits, while maintaining the current "Euro 6" test conditions.
Moreover, for the first time, the "Euro 7" standards introduce limits on tire wear, brake particle emissions (PM10), and minimum performance requirements for the durability of batteries in electric and hybrid vehicles.
In fact, compared to the initially finalized "Euro 7" emission standards, the standards approved this time have been "weakened" after fierce opposition from car manufacturers.
The previous "Euro 7" emission standards demanded that the limit for nitrogen dioxide emissions from diesel engines be reduced from 80 milligrams per kilometer to 60 milligrams.
Compared to the Euro 6 standards, the new standards will reduce nitrogen oxide emissions from cars and light commercial vehicles by 35%, and from buses and trucks by 56%.
On this matter, Volkswagen's CEO, Oliver Blume, stated that the "Euro 7" emission standards would increase the price of each Volkswagen model by 3,000 to 5,000 euros, making Volkswagen less competitive;
Stellantis Group escalated the issue to a national level, claiming that implementing the Euro 7 emission standards prematurely would set Europe's automobile industry back decades behind China's.
It is under the resistance of these European car manufacturers that the new version of the Euro 7 emission standards was weakened. However, the introduction of limits on tire wear and brake particle emissions has propelled the Euro 7 to the status of "the strictest" emission standards in history.
