Why do new cars emit more CO ₂ in Europe?

Ecomobility awakens more and more consciousnesses. During the last years, most of the brands have been joining the electrification of their vehicles, a very important step that not only marks the will for change on the part of the motor sector, but also a change of consciousness on the part of society.

However, the energy transition represents a radical transformation in the automotive sector and this takes time. The price, the autonomy, the speed of recharging and the useful life of the batteries are some of the issues that still stop many users from taking the big step. In fact, if you look at the sales of new cars, gasoline is the fuel most demanded by Spaniards. In 2018, 57.5% of registrations corresponded to passenger cars and SUVs powered by gasoline engines, compared to 35.8% that equipped diesel engines.

These figures also mark a rise in the average carbon dioxide (_CO2) emissions of new registered passenger cars. In Europe, in 2018 they increased by 1.6% compared to the previous year, to 120.4 grams of _CO2 per kilometer, which translates into the second consecutive annual increase.

A study carried out by the European Environment Agency (EEA) shows that between 2010 and 2016 the sector experienced a constant decrease of almost 22 grams of CO₂ per kilometer, but that when arriving in 2017 the trend changed, and began by rising by 0.4 grams of CO₂ per kilometer, and reaching 2 grams in 2018.

The answer to this change lies in the increase in registrations of gasoline vehicles compared to diesel vehicles. According to the Association of European Automobile Manufacturers (ACEA), 2018 was also the second year in which sales of this type of vehicle were ahead of those of diesel, which continued to decline.

Specifically, some 8.5 million gasoline passenger cars were sold in the European market last year, which represents an increase of 11.8% compared to 2017, compared to the 5.4 million units that were registered of diesel, 18% less. At the same time, some 302,000 electrified cars were marketed.

“Clearly, there is a correlation between sales of diesel and gasoline vehicles and _CO2 emissions. This is because petrol cars emit more _CO2 than diesel equivalents,” said ACEA Secretary General Erik Jonnaert.

Likewise, there has also been an increase in the average emissions of light commercial vehicles such as vans: 2018 registered the first increase, 1.3% more, that has occurred in this type of vehicle since 2011. Although diesel continues to predominate in this segment, the market share of gasoline-powered vans has increased since 2016.

Source: The Vanguard