Even though targets for low- and zero-emission vehicles are an innovative approach for EU standards, they could undercut the climate benefit of the regulation. Fortunately, with some slight modifications EU regulators could effectively promote both fuel efficiency and electrification.
In order to promote the uptake of electrified vehicles, the European Commission included targets for zero-and low-emission vehicles (ZLEV) in its recent regulatory proposal for the time period up to 2030. Even though the targets are an innovative approach for the EU standards, they are at best toothless if implemented as proposed, and at worst could actually undercut the climate benefit of the regulation. For the ZLEV targets foreseen are voluntary for manufacturers, with no penalties in case of non-compliance and therefore little effect on actual product planning.