After much uncertainty and argument, the regulations for Euro 7 were eventually adopted by the EU in April 2024, with extended final implementation dates of 2027 for light duty vehicles and 2029 for heavy ones. As well as the expected tightening of engine emission limits, this latest standard also includes particulate emissions from tyres and brakes for the first time. That announcement immediately raised questions about both enforcement as well as the effect this may have on freedom of choice when these items need replacement. Here, three of the main manufacturers – MAN, Volvo and Scania – give their initial thoughts on Euro 7 as a whole and what the broadened remit might mean for the commercial vehicle world.
“Originally the dates were going to be 2025 for light vehicles and 2027 for heavy. But with manufacturers already invested in zero-emission technology, they quite rightly said it was too much to ask and lobbied for the extension we now have,” says Nick Handy, head of product management at MAN.
It’s impossible to be sure exactly how Euro 7 will be enforced, but some educated assumptions can be made. “If we look at how it’s policed currently for Euro VI engines, periodically the VCA (Vehicle Certification Agency) will call in a vehicle that’s two or three years old to do PEMS (portable emission monitoring system) tests on it,” Handy says. “Whether or not they’ll do the same with the tyres and brakes, I don’t know, but I assume it would be an extension of that.”
This situation means that operators may need to be prepared to change their buying criteria for these specific components. “When we went to Euro 5, we had to get it into the common psyche that operators had to use AdBlue, to make their vehicle compliant on emissions,” Handy points out. “So I guess that same mindset will alter to accept new brakes and tyres as well.”
The logical time to check that this compliance is actually happening is at MOT, Handy suggests. “We know that the MOT regulations were changed when smart tacho legislation came in – and it would be sensible to extrapolate that scenario to ensuring Euro 7 vehicles have the correct parts and tyres.” Whether the need to make more regular checks means this will also become part of PMIs, however, is a slightly thornier issue. “What we don’t want is our dealerships becoming the police force,” Handy reasons.
While it sounds like Euro 7 may mean increased costs, it’s important to remember that, historically, there’s always been some kind of trade-off. “With previous Euro levels, we’ve always managed to achieve a fuel saving at each step,” says Handy. “It’s too far off to comment with certainty, but CO2 was always going to be part of Euro 7, and the only way to get CO2 down is to burn less fuel.”
THE VOICE OF VOLVO
“As we have progressed on the quest for improved air quality, the trade-off between NOx and PM particulates has always been a challenge,” says John Comer, product manager at Volvo, who was with the UK arm of the Swedish company when Euro I launched back in 1993. “The industry has made major strides between where it started and Euro VI. However, the focus today has moved to carbon reduction with VECTO [Vehicle Energy Consumption calculation TOol].”
VECTO’s ability to score each vehicle at point of sale gives a CO2 emission in gramme.tonne/kilometre, allowing all marques to be directly compared. The EU has mandated all relevant vehicle manufacturers to deliver a 15% reduction in CO2 emissions from a 2019 model year baseline by 2025, the penalty for failure taking the form of huge fines. Needless to say, it is this target that OEMs are far more concerned about meeting.
“Energy efficiency is a key factor, so low friction and aerodynamics, with more A- and B-rated tyres being specified to get that VECTO score down,” says Comer. “Meanwhile the other big driver is the benefit of an electric driveline with zero emissions. It is interesting how the focus has once again changed to air quality. Also, the UK has left the EU and Euro 7 is not retained legislation, so it will also be interesting to see how this is adopted.”
Even for electric vehicles with zero tailpipe emissions, OEMs must keep improving battery performance and the effects of brake and tyre emissions under Euro 7. “It is too early to say how this will be solved and what it means for in-service compliance,” suggests Comer. “It is also hard to give a view when there are still so many unknowns. For example, truck tyres with a high percentage of natural rubber are at their most sustainable when they can be reused. But how would using a remould effect the initial compliance?” Manufacturers will also need to balance the CO2 reduction from A-rated tyres against the wear characteristics of Euro 7.
Whatever happens, Volvo Group believes the combustion engine will continue to have a part to play – and that renewable fuels such as biogas, HVO and green hydrogen will have a bigger role. “The combustion engine is part of our three-path strategy to decarbonise, next to battery-electric trucks and fuel cell electric trucks,” confirms Comer.
REGULATORY RESPONSIBILITY
“With Euro 7, as ratified by the EU, we’re aware that NOx and particulate limits will drop again – and that particulate covers more than just an engine now,” admits Phil Rootham, head of pre-sales technical at Scania. He, too, is curious to see how this will marry up with existing CO2 targets. “I‘m fairly sure that the methodology will follow the same sort of world harmonised steady state and transient cycles from an engine point of view, but I‘m not entirely certain whether VECTO needs more detail in it to be able to consider the particulate emissions from brakes and tyres.”
Rootham thinks that enforcement of Euro 7 will mainly lie with the manufacturer, effectively. “A vehicle‘s Euro rating is the birth certificate, if you like – although I believe the obligation in the directive is to test certain vehicles with a certain frequency,” he says. “Assuming those vehicles pass, you carry on, but if there’s a failure then you have to put in all the measures to be able to address vehicles in the field.”
The question of tyres, however, is a difficult one. “If you took a vehicle today, with a VECTO score, that score considers the tyre rolling resistance,” Rootham points out. “And you could argue that, once those tyres have worn out and a second set are fitted, there’s no guarantee that someone won’t take off A-label tyres and replace them with D-label ones. That scenario exists today in lots of things.
“The argument then, from a government point of view, is that they will select a number of vehicles over whatever time period and check the compliance, just as with Euro VI today,” continues the man from Scania. “Certainly I wouldn’t expect anything to be different in Euro 7 for the engine part of it. How the brakes and tyres are affected within that becomes a slightly different question.”
There is one existing example of precedent for periodic monitoring by dealerships, however. “Those instances where non-OEM software is in vehicles are detected these days,” confirms Rootham. “And we couldn’t put software updates into those ECUs without returning them to an OEM state.” Whether the same could eventually be true for components like brake linings, only time will tell. “Those will certainly be the parts we supply into our service network,” he concludes.
