Impacts of the Euro VI heavy duty emission standard for the Netherlands

The European Commission recently presented its proposal for Euro VI emission standards for vehicles with heavy duty diesel engines (trucks and buses). The proposal calls for reductions in 2013 in the emissions of particulate matter (-67%) and NO x (-80%) compared to the Euro V requirements. In the Netherlands, the implementation of this proposal will lead to a reduction of the total NO x emissions from road traffic by approximately 5% in 2015 and 21%-23% in 2020. Due to the Euro VI standards, the combustion-related PM 2.5 emissions from road traffic will increase by 2% to 3% in 2015 and 11%-13% in 2020. The CO 2 emissions of vehicles with heavy duty diesel engines will probably increase as well, but to a more limited extent: by 0.1% in 2015 and 0.3% in 2020. More stringent emission requirements for vehicles with heavy duty diesel engines is one of the most cost-effective measures for improving air quality near motorways with respect to NO 2 , PM 10 and PM 2.5. The implementation of Euro VI emission standards in 2013 is expected to reduce the number of local exceedences of the NO 2 air-quality norm – which the Netherlands must comply with in 2015 – by about 30%. The more stringent Euro VI standards will be too late to contribute to solving problems with the local exceedances of the PM 10 norm in the Netherlands, because the deadline for compliance with this norm is 2011. However, the Euro VI standards will contribute to compliance with the new PM 2.5 norms in 2015 and 2020. According to the most recent insights, it is especially the reduction in exposure to the combustion-related PM 2.5 that will lead to positive effects on human health. As a result, the Euro VI standards will lead to health benefits for people living near motorways. The European Commission recently presented its proposal for Euro VI emission standards for new vehicles with heavy duty diesel engines (trucks and buses). The present report evaluates the consequences of this proposal for the Netherlands. The Euro VI proposal is in the form of a regulation and will be subject to the co-decision procedure. In this report, the Euro VI proposal will be evaluated based on the following questions: 1) What is the contribution of Euro VI to reduced emissions of air pollutants? 2) How much does Euro VI contribute to solving exceedences, local and …