Among the flood of standards that have taken or will take effect in Europe, you may have already heard of the CAFE standard. CAFE stands for Corporate Average Fuel Economy, and it is of the European regulation aimed at reducing CO emissions₂ new cars sold in Europe.

This applies to car manufacturers who must comply with an average emission ceiling for their entire fleet.

CAFE rules in a few words

There are many goals. First of all, it should make it possible to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and fight climate change. Second, it is aimed at encouraging the production and sale of more energy-efficient and less polluting vehicles, as well as promoting innovation in automotive technology.
His work, like all rules, is somewhat complicated. CAFE standards set a limit on CO emissions₂ on average for each automaker depending on the mass of vehicles it sells. That cap is currently 95 grams of CO₂ per kilometer for passenger cars and 147 grams of CO₂ per kilometer for minibuses.
Developers who do not comply with the limit must pay fines. To meet their targets, manufacturers can develop and sell more electric and hybrid vehicles, improve the energy efficiency of their cars, or buy emissions credits from other manufacturers that exceed their targets.

Who are the champions of non-CO emissions?₂ ?

And who among the many are the best students? The results published by the European Commission are based on sales in 2022 and it’s BMW that stands out as the manufacturer that has been the most ahead of its target, with a difference of 22.5 gr. This was not yet achieved a few years ago, when the manufacturer did not switch to electricity. Stellantis and Mercedes complete the podium with a gap of – 15.11 g and – 14.68 g, respectively. For their part, Renault and Volkswagen show smaller differences – 5.53 g and – 3.07 g, respectively.
Kia and Dacia are the most economical with an average of around 100g. In contrast, and not surprisingly, the Bugatti smashes everyone with 561.37g of CO₂, the difference is 448.74 g compared to the given task. And the new V16 engine, even though it’s a hybrid, shouldn’t help, but it doesn’t really matter, especially for a car that’s sold around 500 units and isn’t driven every day.

What is the future of CAFE rules?

CAFE regulations are currently under review. The European Union wants to set more ambitious targets for CO emissions₂ new vehicles. On the other hand, CAFE provisions can also be extended to other types of vehicles, for example, heavy vehicles.

By 2030, the CAFE standard will require car manufacturers to achieve a threshold emission level of around 50 g/km. In 2025, the goal is already set at the level of 81 g/km.