ECFD information – How the EU legislator is making the carbon footprint of electromobility look good and subsequently damaging climate protection
For the legislator, only the carbon dioxide emitted by motor vehicles (‘tank-to-wheel’) count in the regulatory CO₂ fleet limits currently in force for new passenger cars and light commercial vehicles. Battery electric vehicles (BEVs) emit no CO₂ locally when driving. In this so-called ‘tailpipe’ (i.e. ‘exhaust’) consideration, they are therefore classified as CO₂-neutral even if they are also powered by charging electricity from fossil sources, which is the reality in the German electricity mix.
