EU proposal: also emission standards for electric vehicles | Sentences

These so-called Euro 7 requirements for vehicles concern limits for particulate pollution from tires and brake calipers. Within two years, the European Commission will publish a report outlining ways to measure these emissions.

These requirements also apply to electric cars, whose tires generally wear out because these cars have more pulling power and are often heavier on average than combustion engine cars. For now, these are proposals from the European Commission in response to various studies that show that tires and brakes cause a lot of particulate matter.

It relates to particles down to 10 nm. These microscopic particles often enter the food chain as microplastics through surface waters and rivers. In Europe alone, researchers estimate, this erosion releases half a million tons of microscopic particles into the environment. There already Filters that reduce rubber particles have been developedbut it still looks clumsy and a little aerodynamic.

The Euro 7 standard will come into force in 2025, and although all trucks and cars must be electric from that year onwards, tires and disc brakes remain major contributors to these emissions. However, electric cars brake much less than combustion engine cars because more braking energy is recovered and so brake discs wear less quickly.