Brussels will tighten CO2 targets for cars and vans from 2020 as it moves towards a long-term ambition of zero emissions from road vehicles. The European Commission has begun consulting on new targets that will come into force in the next decade, as part of a drive to lower carbon emissions and reduce pollution in cities. It will also introduce fuel efficiency targets for lorries, coaches and buses for the first time. Road vehicles account for 70 per cent of the CO2 emissions produced by all transport including trains, planes and ships. EU member states have signed up to climate change goals that will see them reduce their total average greenhouse gas emissions 40 per cent by 2030, compared with 1990 levels. Cutting road pollution, which involves reducing emissions from petrol and diesel engines as well as the widespread adoption of electric cars, is central to achieving those goals. Brussels wants to eradicate emissions from road transport by 2050. In a low-emissions transport strategy announced on Wednesday, the commission said it wanted to encourage the development of electric vehicles and those powered by alternative fuel sources such as hydrogen, in order to prevent the EU falling behind other parts of the world in the race to innovate. The strategy will need to be approved by the European Parliament and the bloc’s member states. “Urgent action is needed in this sector,” Maros Sefcovic, commission vice-president, said in Brussels at the launch of the strategy. “Other regions are moving very fast. The rest of the world has a higher number of patents of alternative fuels [than the EU].” When you make a journey across Europe in your electric car it should be just as easy to recharge as it is to refuel at a petrol station - Miguel Cañete Clamping down further on CO2 could boost diesel technology, which emits about a fifth less CO2 than its petrol equivalents — but diesel also emits harmful Nitrogen Oxide gases, or NOx. Public health concerns over diesel came to the fore after last year’s VW scandal, where the carmaker admitted selling cars that emitted many times the legal limit of NOx fumes. Public take-up of electric vehicles remains very low, at less than 1 per cent of new car sales. In order to spur greater levels of adoption, Brussels wants to increase the number of charging stations across Europe. “When you make a journey across Europe in your electric car it should be just as easy to recharge as it is to refuel at a petrol station,” said Miguel Cañete, a member of the commission in charge of climate change. As part of the strategy, Brussels will also introduce limits on CO2 emissions for trucks, a move that brings the EU in line with many other parts of the world that already regulate lorry emissions. Truck manufacturers will now face checks on CO2 emissions and fuel economy, as well as the existing standards over air quality and pollution. Reports The Future of the Car A Mahindra e2o electric car is reflected in glass during its launch in London, Britain April 15, 2016. REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth - RTX2A4M7 Traditional automakers find their business models under attack from a host of assailants. “Emissions from lorries, buses and coaches currently represent around a quarter of road transport carbon dioxide emissions and are set to increase by up to 10 per cent between 2010 and 2030,” said the commission’s strategy document. The announcement comes the day after Brussels slapped Europe’s largest truck manufacturers with a record fine of €2.93bn for operating a price-fixing cartel for 14 years. As well as colluding over prices, the truckmakers also deliberately delayed the introduction of emissions reduction technology in their vehicles — and overcharged customers when they did finally roll out the new equipment. Environmental groups welcomed the strategy, but said the key to its success would be implementing the plans. “Whether it works will depend on how effectively the promises are delivered,” said Jos Dings from the Transport & Environment campaign group. He also added that the strategy was “devoid of ambition on cutting emissions from aviation and shipping”. Erik Jonnaert, from the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association, called on the commission to adopt a “balanced approach” that includes tighter demands on air travel and shipping to reduce CO2.