Euro 7 signals the end of combustion engines: a strict limit that has led Audi to abandon its diesel and gasoline developments

It is not a ban, but de facto it could spell the end of combustion engines. By 2025, the European Union plan the implementation of Euro 7, its new emission regulations for car homologation. A tightening of the current limit that has already led manufacturers such as Audi or Volvo to announce that they are paralyzing the development of new combustion engines.

Of the 60 and 80 mg / km for gasoline and diesel cars, respectively, a limitation of 30 mg / km is proposed and 10 mg / km for new models. A significant reduction against which several manufacturers have chosen to embrace the electrical transition.

Another change will be the carbon monoxide emission limit, currently between 500 and 1,000 mg / km and which would be lowered between 100 and 300 mg / km, according to the Report of the Advisory Group on Vehicle Emission Standards (AGVES).

The emission point starts to get so low that the German automobile industry has criticized saying that combustion engines could no longer be legal if this level were applied. “With the introduction of the planned EU 7 standard, the EU Commission will de facto ban cars with internal combustion engines from 2025”, assured Hildegard Müller, Director of the German Automobile Industry Association (VDA).

Car manufacturers stop seeing diesel and gasoline viable

Markus Duesmann, CEO of Audi, has explained in a interview that the German manufacturer will stop developing new combustion engines. And the reason behind is in the Euro 7.

“The EU’s plans to an even more stringent Euro 7 emissions standard are a major technical challenge and, at the same time, they have few benefits for the environment. That extremely restricts the combustion engine. We will no longer develop a new combustion engine, but will adapt our existing combustion engines to the new emission guidelines, “explains Duesmann.

Audi will focus on the new e-tron, but it does not mean that new diesel or gasoline models will not appear. Just that will not offer new generation combustion engines. Predictably, they will be adapted to comply with the regulations.

The decision follows the steps from other brands such as Daimler, Volvo or Stellantis / PSA, who have already advanced their electrification strategy and do not seem to rely on diesel and gasoline to cope with the new emission limits.

The Audi announcement has great importance in the industry and incidentally, it will affect the rest of the group’s brands such as Volkswagen, SEAT or Porsche that are based on Audi research and development.

By the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA), which encompasses brands such as Ford, Honda, BMW, Volkswagen or Hyundai, it is noted that the new rule “will lead to more bans, including hybrid vehicles” and could “put the competitiveness of the industry at risk.”

During this 2021 we will know the restrictive limits of Euro 7

Beyond the emissions limit, the European Union proposes a monitoring of emissions, to prevent manufacturers from including systems that artificially lower their emissions based on geolocation.

The current regulation that all manufacturers who sell cars in Europe must comply with is Euro 6d, active since January 1, 2021. It is a fairly restrictive level compared to previous years, but far from what Euro 7 raises. However, there are some brands already working on diesel engines that can meet the requirements of Euro 7. One of them would be the new BMW S58, three-liter and that could be the basis for future hybrid models or in combination with V8 and V12 engines.

The transition to the electric car in countries like Spain is still in an early phase, with few affordable models and a clear lack of charging infrastructure. However, by 2025 the European Union wants to implement a Euro 7 standard that in practice means forcing all manufacturers to sell only electric models, according to express from the German industry.

The official objective of the European Union is a limit of 47.5 g / km for cars sold in Europe in 2030. To achieve this, the Euro 7 regulation will be one of the points that will mark the path that car manufacturers must follow if they do not want to face million-dollar fines.

The Euro 7 regulation is in the phase of proposals and analysis, being the third quarter of 2021 the expected date for approval. It will be then when the car manufacturers have the details and the official figure of the emission limit that they must comply with. A limit that is set so low that many car manufacturers doubt that with combustion engines it can be met.

In Engadget | This man turns combustion cars into electric cars: “Anyone with some knowledge of electricity can do it”

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Euro 7 signals the end of combustion engines: a strict limit that has led Audi to abandon its diesel and gasoline developments

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