Van manufacturers must make new models more efficient by 2020

The average van sold emitted 180.3 grams of carbon dioxide per kilometer (gCO₂/km), according to the data, which covers most light commercial vehicles sold in the EU. Current emissions are slightly higher than the 175 gCO₂/km target to be met by 2017. By 2020, emissions should be 147 gCO₂/km, which is 18.5% lower than current levels.

The targets come from EU legislation adopted in 2011. Similar to legislation already covering passenger cars, Member States must report all new vehicles sold each year. Each manufacturer has an individual target, calculated using the average mass of their registered vehicles. All individual manufacturer targets in combination make up the European industry target – by 2020, emissions should be on average below 95 gCO₂/km for new cars and 147 CO₂/km for new vans.

Hans Bruyninckx, EEA Executive Director, said: “To cut emissions significantly, manufacturers will need to improve the technology of their vehicles and sell more efficient models. The good news is that there is huge potential for using new technologies which are well-suited to the way vans are used, including electric or hybrid vehicle technology.”

This is the first time such data have been published by the EEA. The data are provisional and subject to confirmation, final figures will be available by the end of the year.

Main findings

• The database lists approximately 1.1 million new vans sold in the EU. Approximately three quarters of these vehicles were sold in France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom. Diesel vehicles represent 97% of the newly registered vehicle fleet. 
• Just over 1 % of newly registered vehicles used liquid petroleum gas (LPG) or natural gas (NG), and these vehicles had on average 10 to 15 % lower emissions than diesel vans.
• Pure electric vehicles represent 0.5% of the vehicles sold. This technology is particularly appropriate for urban deliveries and short trips. Electric vehicles also emit zero exhaust emissions and make little noise. Although they also cause some indirect emissions from power generation, this is outside the scope of this analysis.
• The average van sold in Cyprus had the lowest carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions per kilometre (141g CO2/km). At the other end of the scale, emissions were 43 % higher for the average van sold in Slovakia (201g CO2/km).

About this database

The collection of data for vans is more complex than for passenger cars, due to the relatively high number of vehicles type-approved in multiple stages. In the case of multi-stage vans, the base vehicle manufacturer is responsible for the CO₂ emissions of the final vehicle, according to Regulation (EU) No 510/2011. The current monitoring system cannot adequately capture these vehicles, which means that the current database is not yet fully representative of the new vans to be targeted by the legislation. The European Commission and the European Environment Agency are working together with Member States and van manufacturers on a method to improve the data collection for the coming year.