The European Union (EU) has announced that it is adopting the Euro 7 regulation for engine emissions standards in both light and heavy vehicles.
The decision covers heavy-duty vehicles, cars and vans in the one legal act, with the EU aiming to further lower air pollutant emissions from exhaust fumes and brakes.
Alongside exhaust emissions limits for road vehicles, Euro 7 regulations also provide standards for tyre abrasion and brake particle emissions and introduces requirements for battery durability.
For cars and vans, the regulation keeps the existing Euro 6 exhaust emission limits but introduces stricter requirements for solid particles.
For heavy-duty buses and vehicles, the regulation imposes more stringent limits for various pollutants, including some that have not been regulated until now, such as nitrous oxide (N2O).
In addition, Euro 7 introduces stricter limits for particle emissions produced when braking, with specific limits for electric vehicles. The new rules also include stricter lifetime requirements for all vehicles in terms of both mileage and lifetime.
Following the EU council’s approval of the decision, the act has been adopted and will now look to be implemented.
For buses, trucks and trailers, the implementation period will be between 48 and 60 months from the decision date, while it’ll be between 30 and 42 months for new cars and vans and between 30 and 48 months for systems, components and separate technical units fitted in vehicles.