Despite consumption-driven engines, CO2 emissions continue to rise in Germany. The trend towards SUVs and a declining diesel share in fuel prices also drove the car makers into a CO2 trap.
The trend towards more and more large cars with powerful engines prevents a reduction of the carbon dioxide carbon dioxide (CO2). If vehicles had still had the engine power of 2008 in 2008, 9.3 million tonnes of CO2 would have been saved in Germany, according to the calculations presented by the Federal Statistical Office in Wiesbaden on Wednesday. At the same time, the fleet even grew significantly from just under 41 million to 44.5 million passenger cars during this period.
Instead, CO2 emissions rose by almost five million to 112.3 million tonnes in 2015. According to the agency, fuel consumption has also steadily increased since 2008. Last year, 45.3 billion liters of petrol were used in Germany, 3.6 per cent more than in 2008. The main reason: off-road vehicles and SUVs. The heavy cars consume a lot of fuel. But the effect on many buyers face still relatively low oil prices hardly deterring.
A trend reversal is not in sight. Because of the VW scandal, the sales of diesel vehicles are sinking. They emit significantly less CO2 than comparable petrol engines. According to a forecast by the industry expert Ferdinand Dudenhöffer from the University of Duisburg-Essen, the diesel share drops to less than 40 percent of all new cars by 2018. At the end of 2015 it was just under 50 percent. At the same time, eco-friendly electric cars are only slowly spreading despite buying premiums.
The environmental organization ICCT also criticizes the fact that the actual emissions of CO2 and the fuel consumption of cars is still far higher than the official data showed. The manufacturers deceived their customers more and more, according to a recent analysis. The gap between official data on CO2 emissions and fuel consumption on the road had risen to an average of 42 percent in 2015. This is a high point, said ICCT member Uwe Tietge. Because of the direct coupling of fuel consumption and CO2 emissions, the drivers could have stressed the climate much more than imagined.
Problems when reaching the environment
In any case, the Germans are always buying more powerful cars. Thus, the average engine power in the first nine months of the year with diesel cars at 163 hp, shows a study of the University of Duisburg-Essen. Twenty years ago, the new cars sold averaged 98hp. "The Germans remain in the PS-Rausch," says Dudenhöffer.
The buying behavior of the Germans also had consequences for the local builders, says the industry expert. They would have problems in reaching European environmental targets. This was due to the decline in diesel sales and the sluggish demand for electric cars. This would lead to the danger of failing to meet EU targets for the greenhouse gas CO2. «The German caravans run into a dangerous CO2 trap». (Dpa)
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