I can't be sure, but I believe I detected a note of sarcasm....
Mike
All vehicles in the EU will soon be powered by coal.
The European Commission has released its proposals for the ‘Euro 7’ emissions limits that will be the last stage of cuts made to combustion-engined four-wheelers before a total ban on all non-zero emissions cars in 2035. Since current motorcycle emissions limits are a carbon-copy of the car standards it’s likely that bikes will also be expected to hit the new targets – albeit at a later date.
At the moment the ‘Euro 6’ limits for cars are essentially aligned with the ‘Euro 5’ standards that new bikes have to meet. That means motorcycle ‘Euro 6’ – whenever it arrives – is likely to take the new ‘Euro 7’ standards for cars as a template. The Euro 7 car rules are due to be phased in from 1st July 2025, but there’s currently still no schedule for the introduction of motorcycle Euro 6 or any firm proposals as to what the motorcycle standards will be.
As the last step towards cleaner combustion engines before that technology is consigned to the history books, with zero tailpipe emissions mandatory for new cars in Europe from 2035, the changes for Euro 7 aren’t as radical as some earlier emissions limits. Essentially, the rules take the current limits for tailpipe emissions for petrol and diesel cars and standardise them across both fuel types – picking the lower emission limit in every area where there’s currently a difference. For petrol engines, that means there will be no change in hydrocarbon (HC) or NOx emission limits, but carbon monoxide (CO) limits will be halved from 1g per km to 0.5g per km.
The Euro 7 rules will also introduce new testing methods intended to replicate short trips and different temperatures, as well as introducing compliance checks to make sure vehicles still meet the limits until 200,000km and 10 years, double the longevity of the Euro 6 limits.
