2 May 2014
European Cars Meet Fuel Efficiency Targets, EEA Reports
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According to the European Environment Agency (EEA), new cars sold in the EU in 2013 were 4% more fuel efficient than cars sold in 2012 and 10% more efficient than those sold in 2010.

The 2013 average fuel efficiency for new cars of 127g carbon dioxide per km put the EU ahead of EEA's 2015 legal target of 130g carbon dioxide per km, well along the way to the 95g carbon dioxide per km mandated for 2021.

EEA30 April 2014: According to the European Environment Agency (EEA), new cars sold in the EU in 2013 were 4% more fuel efficient than cars sold in 2012 and 10% more efficient than those sold in 2010. The 2013 average fuel efficiency for new cars of 127g carbon dioxide per km put the EU ahead of the EEA’s 2015 legal target of 130g carbon dioxide per km, well along the way to the 95g carbon dioxide per km mandated for 2021.

These findings appear in an EEA report titled ‘Monitoring CO2 emissions from new passenger cars in the EU: Summary of data for 2013.’ The report is based on provisional data gathered since 2010 in accordance with reporting requirements for car manufacturers, mandated alongside the 2015 and 2021 efficiency targets under the Regulation (EC) No 443/2009.

Other findings reveal that technological improvements and higher sales of diesel cars spurred efficiency gains, despite an increase in the average mass of new cars during this period. EEA also notes that the total number of newly registered cars in the EU has fallen to 11.8 million in 2013, down from a peak of 15.5 million in 2007. Of the new cars registered in 2013, 24,000 were electric vehicles, a 71% increase from 2012, and a further 31,000 were plug-in hybrids. [EEA Press Release] [Publication: Monitoring CO2 Emissions from New Passenger Cars in the EU]

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