EU proposal: also emission standards for electric cars | Car

These so-called Euro 7 requirements for vehicles relate to the limits of particulate pollution, which is caused by tires and brakes. In two years, the European Commission will publish a report identifying the methods for measuring these emissions.

These requirements also apply to electric cars, whose tires generally wear more because these cars have more pulling power and are often heavier on average than cars with combustion engines. For now, these are proposals from the European Commission in response to various studies showing that tires and brakes emit a lot of particles.

It concerns particles up to 10 nanometers. These microscopic particles often find their way into the food chain via surface waters and rivers in the form of microplastics. In Europe alone, this wear releases half a million tonnes of microscopic particles into the environment, researchers estimate. There is already developed filters that limit fine rubber dustbut they still look clunky and not very aerodynamic.

The Euro 7 standard will come into force in 2025 and although all vans and cars must be electric from that year, tires and brake discs are still major contributors to these emissions. However, electric cars brake much less than combustion engine cars because a lot of braking energy is recovered and the brake discs therefore wear out less quickly.